Ms Rachel to push newborn book programme as she joins Mamdani inauguration team

Children's content creator Ms Rachel and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani are preparing to work together as the city enters a new administration.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Ms Rachel, real name Rachel Accurso, said she hopes the books would be part of the mayor-elect's proposed 'Baby Baskets', which would provide new parents with free postnatal products and resources. During his campaign, Mamdani proposed that the baskets would include items like diapers, baby wipes, and nipple cream. 

Ms Rachel compared her plans to donate the books to singer Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which has donated over 270 million books to children worldwide.

On Friday, Mamdani announced that Ms Rachel, who has lived in New York City for over a decade, would be part of his inaugural committee, alongside executive director at the Museum of the Moving Image, Aziz Isham, political director of Jewish Voice for Peace, and Sami Zaman, owner of Sami's Kebab House in Astoria, where Mamdani lived before his election.

Following tradition, Mamdani will be inaugurated shortly after midnight on 1 January 2026. The ceremony will take place in New York's Times Square after the iconic ball drops on the roof of One Times Square. Mamdani will be sworn in by Senator Bernie Sanders and New York attorney general Letitia James.

Ms Rachel has previously defended Mamdani from racist and Islamophobic posts online.

"Your Anti-Muslim hate and racism are the problem, not our Muslim friends and neighbours," she said in an Instagram post in October.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ms Rachel (@msrachelforlittles)

The children's influencer, who has over 18 million subscribers on YouTube, is outspoken about social issues, particularly children's rights, on her digital platform. She frequently speaks out about the treatment of children in Gaza and Sudan, and has worked with organisations like the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund and the World Food Programme.

Her activism has garnered both praise and ire. This year, Ms Rachel has been included in both Glamour's Women of the Year list and Stop Antisemitism's 'Antisemite of the Year' competition, despite no history of antisemitic remarks.

She has spoken out about her inclusion on the list, saying: "People hate me because I see every child as I see my own children."