Ms. Rachel, known as a popular YouTube personality and educator, has pledged to donate $1 million US to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), matching a similar donation made by rapper Macklemore. The announcement was made on Instagram, where she called on other wealthy white celebrities to follow suit and raise their voices against the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
In her post, Ms. Rachel highlighted the plight of over 20,000 Palestinian children who have lost their lives and emphasized the importance of using privilege and platforms to advocate for the protection of children and human rights. Ms. Rachel, who has a massive following on YouTube, has been actively supporting PCRF as a global ambassador and has been using her influence to raise awareness about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Macklemore, also known as Benjamin Haggerty, responded to Ms. Rachel’s pledge with admiration and announced on Instagram his decision to donate his $1-million earnings from Ed Sheeran’s tour to organizations aiding the Palestinian people. This came after Macklemore was removed from Sheeran’s tour for expressing pro-Palestinian sentiments during a concert, leading to backlash from pro-Israel groups.
Following Macklemore’s exit from the tour, there was criticism against Sheeran for his perceived apolitical stance on the issue. Sheeran clarified that the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the promoter and not himself. Despite expressing his personal views on the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Sheeran defended his choice not to take a public stance, emphasizing his concern for the suffering experienced by both sides.
In response to the escalating situation, both Sheeran and Robert Kraft, the owner of the venue where Macklemore was set to perform, pledged $2 million each towards humanitarian aid in Gaza. Kraft mentioned that Sheeran had reached out to him before Macklemore’s public challenge, and they aim to collaborate with other venue owners to address the crisis.