Ms. Rachel says she won’t work with anyone who hasn’t spoken out about Gaza
- - Ms. Rachel says she won’t work with anyone who hasn’t spoken out about Gaza
Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAYJuly 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Popular children’s content creator Rachel Griffin Accurso, known widely online as Ms. Rachel, said in a social media post that she would refuse to work with anyone who has not spoken out against the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza.
In an Instagram post on July 24, Accurso said she will "never understand" fellow content creators' silence on the treatment of Palestinians in the area, where Israeli forces have killed tens of thousands of people during the war sparked by Hamas' 2023 attacks on Israel.
“I will always choose kindness, but I will never understand your silence,” she said. “I especially can’t understand those with so much privilege - the uncancelable - who still remain in the shadows.”
Ms. Rachel is known online for her YouTube series, “Song for Littles,” with a channel amassing just under 15 million subscribers. Her videos focus mainly on teaching children nursery rhymes and basic concepts like colors, shapes and words.
More: More than 100 aid, rights groups call for action as hunger spreads in Gaza
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Accurso targeted over advocacy
Accurso has become a target of pro-Israel groups. In April, the advocacy group StopAntisemitism asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate if Accurso was “being funded by a foreign party to push anti-Israel propaganda to skew public opinion.”
The group accused the content creator of being an “amplifier of Hamas propaganda,” saying images that she shared of children in Gaza were manipulated.
In response, the creator appeared in an interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan, on his independent publication Zeteo, saying that criticism for her continued advocacy for Palestinian children is unfair and that it "should be controversial to not say anything.”
Accurso said her advocacy does not come from a place of antisemitism, but rather a sense of empathy for children around the world.
“I’ve been blessed to get this platform. And kids feel that I care about them all deeply, and that’s why I have the platform. Because they feel it through the screen, because it’s genuine,” Accurso said.
Accurso’s continued advocacy
Despite backlash she's faced from some, Accurso has continued to advocate for Palestinians in Gaza.
Ms. Rachel attends the Sesame Workshop 2024 Benefit Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 29, 2024 in New York City.
She has teamed up with Save the Children, a humanitarian nonprofit, and has also used her platform to highlight the stories of various Palestinian children. In one post, she shared the story of a 3-year-old Palestinian child who lost both legs in an airstrike.
“When I saw pictures of Rahaf in Gaza on the hospital floor, I saw the devastating consequences of endless bombing and continuous violations of children’s human rights,” Accurso said.
Contributing: Reuters
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ms. Rachel says no to content creators who have been quiet about Gaza
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