Ms. Rachel donates $3K to fundraiser for young Black child ignored by library employee at Connecticut event

A viral video prompted the Darien Library to place an employee on leave as officials investigate the family’s allegations of discriminatory treatment.

A Connecticut library employee was placed on administrative leave earlier this month after multiple people claimed the employee had ignored a young Black child during an event, prompting a response from Ms. Rachel herself.

In a video uploaded to TikTok on Oct. 6, Micah Whitaker, a West Haven resident, filmed a storytime event at the Darian Library, where a woman can be seen using a puppet to engage with children. A small Black child can be seen walking with his mother near the employee, but the employee is also seen engaging with other children nearby before later packing the puppet up.

“As parents, this broke our hearts,” the video’s caption reads. “Every child deserves to feel SEEN. Every child deserves to feel INCLUDED. EVERY CHILD Matters. This woman, seen in the video, works at the Darien Library, and what happened left us deeply hurt and questioning why our son was treated differently.”

The video has garnered more than six million views on TikTok.

@takethewillmike 💔 AS PARENTS , THIS BROKE OUR HEARTS. (PLEASE WATCH AND SHARE ) Please watch the full video and tell us what you think. Are we wrong for feelings this way ? She clearly seen our son multiple times. Every child deserves to feel SEEN. Every child deserves to feel INCLUDED. EVERY CHILD MATTERS. This woman seen in the video works at the Darien Library , and what happened left us deeply hurt and questioning why our son was treated differently. #DarienCT #darienlibrary #everychildmatters #fyp #viraltiktok ♬ original sound – Micah

Almost immediately, the uproar over the video caught the attention of children’s activist and early learning content creator Ms. Rachel. In a response to the video, she apologized about the racism the young boy endured and said she’d be “honored” to meet the family.

“I’m so sorry about the racism he experienced,” Ms. Rachel commented on a follow-up post made by Whitaker and. “I’d be so honored to meet him and you two! And he can play with all of our puppets!”

According to Whitaker, the family and Ms. Rachel have gotten in contact with one another.

The Darian Library Director, Kierra Parrott, said in a statement that the library “takes these allegations seriously, as we do our commitment to be a welcoming, inclusive, and safe space for every patron, especially our youngest patrons and their families and caregivers.”

Parrott added that the library is conducting a “comprehensive” review of the situation and that threats had been made against the library and the employee. She urged that boundaries be respected regarding privacy, safety and confidentiality in this matter.

“In the meantime,” Parrott said, “we are in contact with the family and are focused on working together to achieve healing and resolution.”

An organizer on behalf of Whitaker and his son has since launched a GoFundMe fundraiser following the incident, raising over $3,800, with the majority of the funds donated by Ms. Rachel herself.

“This fundraiser is not about asking for pity,” the fundraiser’s description reads. “Micah simply wants to turn this difficult moment into a beautiful memory for his son.”

It continues, “The hope is to use the support from this fundraiser to take him and the family to Disney World, where he can experience the joy, magic, and excitement every child deserves. More than anything, Micah wants this little boy to be surrounded by love and reminded that one hurtful experience does not define who he is or what the world can hold for him. If you feel moved to give, thank you from the bottom of Micah’s heart. If donating is not possible, sharing this fundraiser or sending love and encouragement means just as much.”