Remember when we all thought that cooky social justice activist Rachel Dolazel was the pinnacle case of delusional identity politics? Well, forget about her because Raquel Evita Saraswati, a diversity-hire for a leftist organization who claimed to be Arab, South Asian, and a Latina, has been exposed by her own mother just to be a white woman of almost exclusively European descent.
Saraswati, born Rachel Elizabeth Seidel, serves as the chief equity, inclusion and culture officer for the American Friends Service Committee, a left-leaning Quaker based organization that aims to combat “violence, inequality and oppression.” According to the New York Post, the “Muslim” activist (yes, she claims to be Muslim too), has claimed for years to be of a mixed ethnic background, convincing her own coworkers of her false heritage.
It is perfectly fine to be white! It is perfectly fine to be white & believe in equality. I know plenty of good people who do it every day.
Stop this bullshit!
Raquel Evita Saraswati, who claimed Arab, South Asian, Latin descent, outed by her own mom: https://t.co/DAgokSwktN…— BlackPhoenix (@TruBlackPhoenix) February 21, 2023
RELATED: Biden Refers to Maryland’s First Black Governor as ‘The Boy’
Meet Rachel
The ethnic phony’s mother, Carol Perone, spoke to The Intercept about her daughter’s true heritage.
“I call her Rachel,” said Perone, “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.”
According to Perone, her daughter chose to become a Muslim while she was in high school, and that is when the false narrative of coming from a different ethnic background started.
Images of Saraswati as a child show a completely different person from the much tanner person portraying herself as anything but a white person. Pictures provided to The Intercept by Perone, including her Ancestry.com profile, show a fair skinned child of light complexion.
Oskar Pierre Castro, one of the individuals who hired Saraswati, was initially told by her that she was a “queer, Muslim, multiethnic woman.”
According to Castro, “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.”
Yup, that’s right, Saraswati essentially crafted the perfect intersectional ‘victim’ identity in order to secure a job that probably should have gone to someone who was an actual ethnic or social minority.
“I definitely feel conned,” added Castro, “I feel deceived.”
You can easily become Muslim without pretending to be a PoC. So why do it? This Rachel lady is really a white woman who started her career in extremely right-wing media. There is fear she might be using her fake identity to spy on Muslims. https://t.co/mc308JdAOG pic.twitter.com/E3GHwVfw7Y
— Jasamin Ulfat (@JasoUlfat) February 18, 2023
Caught White Handed
Layne Mullett, a representative for Saraswati’s employer, told reporters that Saraswati “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,” Mullett added, “or in order to be valued as a member of our team.”
However, some unnamed co-workers have expressed worries that Saraswati may potentially have an ulterior motive, and could potentially be a plant from a opposing group in order to sabotage their efforts.
The Intercept claims that an anonymous blog post put on the platform Medium by a co-worker shows that after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Saraswati appeared on conservative news outlets claiming to be a “moderate” Muslim.
“We hope that this will catalyze further truth-telling and accountability,” the letter said. It also demanded that AFSC investigate whether or not there are “external entities with whom Saraswati is collaborating.”
One official who spoke with The Intercept on the condition of anonymity also expressed this concern.
“Imagine the trauma of people who confided in her, trusted her, and shared sensitive information about their work and about their lives, thinking that she’s a fellow person of color,” they said. “And now all of a sudden, it’s a white woman with a right-wing history. It’s scary.”
Saraswati did make one statement on her Facebook page as the news began to break.
“I assure people that as soon as I am capable, I will provide answers to the recent discussion and attack on me,” she said. “I understand all the reactions you’re having. I am currently taking the time to get to where I can answer in a way that is most helpful and thorough.”
Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
The Political Insider ranks #3 on Feedspot’s “100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.”