AFSC officer leaves after public allegations
‘She’s chosen to live a lie, and I find that very, very sad.’
A staff member accused of mischaracterising her heritage and lived experience will leave her post at American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).
The identity of Raquel Evita Saraswati, AFSC’s chief equity, inclusion and culture officer, came into question after an open letter on the internet claimed that, according to unnamed family members, she was not of Latin, South Asian and Arab descent, as she allegedly claimed, but of European heritage. It said her original name was Rachel Elizabeth Seidel.
The allegations were later confirmed by her mother, who told the press that her daughter converted to Islam while at boarding school in New York, adding: ‘She’s chosen to live a lie, and I find that very, very sad.’
The anonymous letter said: ‘We are a group of individuals who care deeply about AFSC and have chosen to remain anonymous for protection from any potential retaliation.’
The letter alleged the inclusion officer had links to conservative groups earlier in her career and expressed fear that she might be working on behalf of groups seeking to undermine the organisation.
After initially appearing to stand by Saraswati, AFSC released a statement saying: ‘AFSC’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. AFSC supports her in this difficult decision. This is a deeply personal issue, and we respect her privacy and ask that others do as well.’
Chuck Fager, on his website A Friendly Letter, said that according to some sources there had been a deep divide within AFSC’s staff on the matter.
AFSC told Friends Journal that it acknowledges the allegations have brought up ‘many critical issues that warrant further discussion and this situation has been difficult and distressing for many’.
It was committed to ‘listening’ and ‘discerning’, and ‘moving forward on a path of healing’, it added Photographs of a younger Saraswati show a significantly lighter complexion than her bronzed look in more recent photographs. The thirty-nine-year-old appears to have been estranged from her family for a number of years. In 2004, according to the reporter, she told the Boston News that she wanted her same-sex upcoming wedding to respect her ‘Arab and Latin traditions’, although this is not a direct quote from her.
According to the New York Post, Saraswati posted some now-deleted tweets on 18 February, calling the allegation an ‘attack’ and saying that she will soon provide answers. The account is now private. The Friend approached Saraswati for comment through AFSC. She told the Friends Journal on 23 February that she was considering making a statement.
