Children’s show host Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Accurso, shared that she is matching Macklemore’s $1 million donation to help support Palestine. She also challenged “every wealthy white celebrity” to join her, adding that she views it as a “moral obligation.”
“I will match Macklemore’s donation and I invite every wealthy white celebrity to match it and speak out against the genocide in Gaza,” Accurso posted Thursday on Instagram. “Over 20,000 precious Palestinian children have been killed and children continue to be killed every day. We have a moral obligation to use our privilege and platforms to protect children and human rights.”
The YouTuber also noted in her caption that she is an ambassador for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) and will be donating to the organization.
On Wednesday, Macklemore said he would be donating his entire $1 million in earnings from opening for Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to organizations supporting Palestine. He also challenged Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft to do the same. This followed opening acts Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and house band Beoga dropping out in solidarity with Macklemore’s dismissal, leaving the remainder of Sheeran’s tour without an opener.
“With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom,” Macklemore wrote. “I will be donating the entire $1 million of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organizations working directly to support the Palestinian people. And I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth.” Kraft responded later Wednesday pledging $2 million to aid Gaza’s “humanitarian crisis” in the region. The Kraft Group executive said that his donation came as a match to Sheeran’s own $2 million commitment, as the Grammy winner reportedly rallied support from other stadium owners who did not want Macklemore performing on their properties.
“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people,” Kraft wrote in a statement shared to Gillette Stadium’s official X account. “I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting. Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis. Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.”
This isn’t the first time Accurso has weighed in on the Sheeran/Macklemore controversy. On Monday, she called out the singer for dropping the rapper from his tour.
“Ed Sheeran had an opportunity [to] show that we won’t be bullied into punishing people for supporting Palestine,” she wrote. “Instead he caved to people who refuse to accept what the world knows. A genocide is happening in Gaza. We all need to speak out against it. If more than 20,000 white children were killed in another part of the world, everyone would be shouting about it at their concerts. Treating some children’s lives as less worthy of outrage is racist. Silence during a genocide is not neutral.”
You can read more celebrity responses to the fallout here.
The post Ms. Rachel Matches Macklemore’s $1 Million Donation to Support Palestine: ‘We Have a Moral Obligation’ appeared first on TheWrap.
