A white woman, who converted to Islam and allegedly posed as a person of color for years, has resigned from her position in a social justice organization founded by Quakers after being exposed for race faking.
The woman, who goes by the name Raquel Saraswati, was the chief inclusion officer of Philadelphia-based American Friends Service Committee and had been lauded for her racial and LGBTQ+ equity efforts. But praise for Saraswati’s activism has evaporated after she was accused of faking her ethnic background.
“[American Friends Service Committee’s] Chief Equity, Inclusion, and Culture Officer, Raquel Saraswati, who is facing public allegations that she misrepresented her background and past associations, has informed us of her intention to separate from the organization,” the organization said in a statement to Daily Mail, adding that job candidates do not have to prove their ethnic background in order to apply for positions.
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“We see ending all forms of racism as a critical part of this work both within our organization and in the world,” the organization said.
According to The Intercept, Saraswati claimed she was Latina, as well as of South Asian and Arab descent, but her family claimed that was all a lie. Instead, they said she was born Rachel Elizabeth Seidel and actually had British, German, and Italian ancestry. They claimed Saraswati started to take an interest in Eastern cultures while away at boarding school in Troy, New York. She had a roommate who was Turkish, and eventually Saraswati’s hair and makeup got darker.
According to the Daily Mail, Saraswati started going by the name Raquel Evita Seidel and then Raquel Evita Saraswati around the time that she married her Vietnamese girlfriend in 2005. The outlet obtained photos of Saraswati from the early 2000s in which she looked radically different, sporting a pale complexion and thin eyebrows.
“I’m as white as the driven snow and so is she,” Saraswati’s mother, Carol Perone, told The Intercept.
“I don’t know why she’s doing what she’s doing,” she added. “She’s chosen to live a lie, and I find that very, very sad.”
In an 11-page, anonymous letter posted Feb. 10 on Medium—written by AFSC members, according to The Intercept—concern was raised about Saraswati’s background and how her alleged misrepresentations hurt marginalized people.
“Saraswati has gone to great lengths to purge much of the public records that can correct her mistruths regarding her race and ethnicity,” the letter reads. “There have been attempts since 2015 to call for accountability in light of Saraswati’s cultural vulturism.” (Allegations of race faking were first raised on Twitter in 2015 by Sana Saeed, who called Saraswati the “Raquel Dolezal” of the Muslim community.)
The letter, which provided a detailed rundown of Saraswati’s family history, continued: “An examination of her photographs, cross-referenced with our interviews with individuals who have known Saraswati personally over the years, reveal that the shades of bronzer she applies to her face have become darker over time.”
Oskar Pierre Castro, an HR worker involved in hiring Saraswati at the American Friends Service Committee, told the Intercept that she described herself during the interview process as a “queer, Muslim, multiethnic woman.”
Castro, who works with Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, which partners with American Friends Service Committee, said he felt Saraswati would be good as an equity officer due to her background and experiences.
Oddly, Saraswati has also partnered with organizations that have been accused of peddling Islamophobic views, like the Clarion Project and American Islamic Forum for Democracy.
When allegations of race faking first emerged this month, the American Friends Service Committee stood by Saraswati. The group gave her “the opportunity to address the allegations against her, and Raquel stands by her identity,” spokesperson Mark Graham told the Daily Mail, adding that “Raquel also assures us that she remains loyal to AFSC's mission, which we firmly believe.”
AFSC did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment Tuesday. However, Saraswati declined to comment in full, saying she wanted “to maintain discretion” as it related to her employment.
“I have carried out my work at AFSC with integrity and sincere commitment, moving forward many aspects of organizational culture,” she said. “I will be handling this phase of my relationship with AFSC with the same level of thoughtfulness and care as I did [other] important matters.”
“I am currently taking the time I need both with loved ones as well as with professional counsel,” Saraswati added, “to ensure that the doors are soon closed on this.”
