Culture
Diversity activist's mother says she's lied about having Latino, Arab and Asian ethnicity
Born as Rachel Elizabeth Seidel, Saraswati has purportedly been misrepresenting her ethnic background for over two decades, describing herself as a “queer, Muslim, multiethnic woman"
February 23, 2023 9:15am
Updated: February 23, 2023 9:15am
Muslim progressive activist Raquel Evita Saraswati, who claimed to be a woman of color of Latino, South Asian, and Arab descent, was outed by her mother, who claimed she was “white as the driven snow.”
Saraswati, 39, is the chief equity, inclusion, and culture officer of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization known for its progressive values that fights “violence, inequality, and oppression.”
Born as Rachel Elizabeth Seidel, Saraswati has reportedly been misrepresenting her ethnic background for over two decades, describing herself as a “queer, Muslim, multiethnic woman.”
"I call her Rachel," said Saraswati’s mother, Carol Perone, in an interview with The Intercept. "I don’t know why she’s doing what she’s doing. I’m as white as the driven snow and so is she. I’m German and British, and her father was Calabrese Italian. She’s chosen to live a lie, and I find that very, very sad."
Perone said her daughter converted to Islam in high school and then started presenting herself as a person of color. Perone also shared old pictures where Saraswati has a “significantly lighter” complexion.
A spokesperson for the AFSC, Layne Mullett, released a statement to address Saraswati’s identity.
“AFSC has given Raquel the opportunity to address the allegations against her, and Raquel stands by her identity.
Raquel also assures us that she remains loyal to AFSC’s mission, which we firmly believe. AFSC does not require any employee to ‘prove’ their heritage as a condition of their employment, or in order to be valued as a member of our team,” the statement says.
However, several AFSC members have expressed concerns about the scandal.
"In my mind, it was, “Great, a person of color, a queer person of color, who happens to be a Muslim, it’s a woman,” all these things, and someone who seemed to get it. I definitely feel conned. I feel deceived," AFSC’s human resources official Oksar Pierre Castro told The Intercept.
