An equity and inclusion officer for a Philadelphia social justice organization succumbed to coworker’s requests for her to quit after being outed as a white woman.
Rachel Elizabeth Seidel adopted the name Raquel Evita Saraswati and self-identified for almost two decades as a “vegan, Muslim queer feminist.” According to her birth mother, Carol Perone, she is white, not a woman of color which she claims to be.
“I’m as White as the driven snow and so is she,” Saraswati’s mother said in a telephone interview with The Intercept.
“I call her Rachel,” Perone, said. “I don’t know why she’s doing what she’s doing.” Saraswati her mother added, is of British, German and Italian descent — not Latina, South Asian or Arab.
Fox News further reported:
Raquel Evita Saraswati, an equity and inclusion officer hired by a social justice organization based in Philadelphia, confirmed to Fox News Digital that she resigned Tuesday after her family came forward and said she was lying about her ethnicity.
Saraswati, who is White and of British, German, and Italian descent, falsely claimed to be Arab, Latina, and South Asian. Saraswati did, however, convert to Islam.
After Saraswati’s mom came forward with the claims, an anonymous letter began among staff and supporters at The American Friends Service Committee that called for Saraswati to step down over the lies.
“Despite years of publicly and privately identifying herself as a person of color, evidence has emerged that contradicts her claims and confirms that her heritage is white/European, specifically German on the maternal side and Italian on the paternal side,” the letter stated.
The organization has asked people to respect Saraswati’s privacy in light of these developments.
Meanwhile, this individual’s mom said “Saraswati” is not even her real name. She told The Intercept that her daughter’s real name was “Rachel Elizabeth Seidel.” She is said to be estranged from her family.
“I’m as White as the driven snow and so is she,” the mother said.
Notably, the aforementioned letter was addressed to Saraswati in both the name that she has been using and the name that her mother gave her at birth.
In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, Saraswati said:
“Out of respect for the process that we are in, I am choosing to maintain discretion regarding discussion of my departure, and will not be sharing details at this time other than to say that no, I was not fired. I have carried out my work at AFSC with integrity and sincere commitment, moving forward many aspects of organizational culture: improved non-discrimination policies, improvements to our conflict resolution work and our policies on sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse; facilitating even deeper inclusion for members of diverse faith communities; creating affinity spaces, and much else. I will be handling this phase of my relationship with AFSC with the same level of thoughtfulness and care as I did these important matters. Assertions that I am or would ever be a ‘mole’ are ludicrous and harmful to me and others. I was also honest and completely transparent in securing my role, which I have found extremely fulfilling. Regarding details of my personal life: I am currently taking the time I need both with loved ones as well as with professional counsel to ensure my concerns and interests are addressed comprehensively while maintaining discretion and care for the personal lives of others.”
There have been other high profile cases of individuals lying about their status as a minority in order to advance their careers. Rachel Dolezal, who became head of an NAACP branch, falsely claimed to be African American for years before revelations about her true identity emerged.
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