Ms. Rachel has won widespread praise for the beautifully poignant dress that she wore to Tuesday night’s Glamour Awards in New York City.
But she was honored as one of Glamour’s Women of the Year for her advocacy work, which has made her one of the loudest US voices for the children in Gaza, Palestine.
And Rachel made sure that the children of Gaza were at the forefront when she stepped out for last night’s lavish ceremony, with the star having their artwork embroidered onto an upcycled dress that she purchased for the event.
Rachel told Glamour that she asked kids from Gaza to draw something that told their stories, and she knew the deeper meaning behind each and every design. “I’m thinking about all the little ones there and what we can do for them,” she said on the red carpet. “I’m carrying their stories in my heart, they all know about the dress, and they’re so excited.”
Rachel also referenced her dress during her speech, where she told the crowd: “Tonight I am wearing this beautiful dress that has art from kids in Gaza, and these kids are just amazing. They’re so thoughtful and so brilliant.”
She then specifically shouted out a little girl called Rama, who has lost both of her sisters to the genocide. Rachel concluded: “I want to end with her words because they’re more important than mine. Rama wanted to say: ‘I want to tell the world my sisters are not numbers. They are moons. They are like the stars — they shine and sparkle.’”
Over on her Instagram page, Rachel shared photos of herself holding up a picture of each child beside their corresponding artwork on her dress. She shared in the caption that she made personal donations to each of the children, adding: “We did it! You are all so amazing and everyone loved hearing all about you, seeing your pictures and hearing your stories!”
Rachel previously opened up about her decision to use her public profile for advocacy in an interview with Glamour, where she explained: “My love and care for children doesn’t stop at my own children. It doesn’t stop at the children in our country. It embraces every child of the world.”
“And I don’t think that our love should end at religion or skin color or where people are born,” she went on. “I think that that’s not what’s right, in my soul…. Children should have human rights, and children do have human rights. To me, that grown-ups are failing children and not following those guidelines, it’s so upsetting.”
“I’m always thinking about kids in need,” Rachel added. “I have these briefings where I learn what it’s like to be a kid in the hardest places. I don’t think having a platform comes with negatives. One of the positives is being able to highlight issues and get a message to a bigger audience. I think it’s a big responsibility that should be used as much as possible.”
And she doubled down on this in her acceptance speech, where she said: “No matter how hard some people try to convince us that empathy is wrong, it’s right. No matter how hard people try to convince us that diversity is a weakness, it’s a strength. No matter how hard people try to convince us that love is limited, it’s limitless.”
Rachel’s comments come just months after she said that she won’t work with anybody who doesn’t speak up for Palestine — despite admitting to NPR that she has faced pushback from financial backers for her stance.
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