Celebs You Didn't Know Were Multiracial

[raqs]

Not quite as fair as Miller, but she is pretty light skinned and obviously mixed.

eta: After that declarative statement I'm Googling like crazy for a photo as proof, but can't find one. Arghh..

[kelly9480]

I don't think Creole counts as a different race. It's certainly not listed as a separate race or ethnicity in any official documents I've ever seen. If it does, then every single member of my family is multiracial, because we're all of Creole heritage, (and Cherokee, among other groups, but I digress).

I've only seen Creoles listed as blacks, while Cajuns are listed as whites. Seriously, I was visiting Louisiana for a summer (I'm from Texas) and I asked a white police officer what the difference between Creole and Cajun was, and he told me the Creoles are black and Cajuns are white.

[Deleted]

Wikipedia says that ''creole'' has nothing to do with race.

ETA: This link is more specific.

[bakedcookie123]

Creoles are of MIXED heritage.

You don't need two parents of a different race to be mixed or multiracial.

And of course some white police officer in the south--my god of ALL places--would enforce the one drop rulism applying to people of mixed heritage as solely being Black.

Like I said before, and is being proven time and time again--lightskin Blacks have HIGHER concentrations of mixed heritages than darker complected Blacks with stronger African features.

Jada Pinkett is mixed. Especially if her mom is biracial.
Beyonce is mixed. Her mother is of mixed heritage--Creole.
Rihanna is mixed. Her father is of mixed heritage.

Black people who look like Fantasia, Ya-ya (from ANTM), Gabrielle Union, Nia Long, and Sheryle Lee Ralph are typically what an unmixed Black person with no admixtures look like, we make up the majority of Black America but rarely get proper representation in society.


If Black people are all mixed then how come no one is asking if Nia Long, Garbrielle Union, Fantasia, or any other darker complected woman with undeniably strong African features being questioned if they're multiracial?

Yet you have people inquiring ONLY about lighter complected Blacks...because USUALLY they're the ones who are MIXED.

[soul]

I believe you recently brought up that issue. We have been pretty much just playing the "Celebs We Didn't Know Were Multiracial", until we got a little sidetracked by your statement.

It's all good, but we have been warned. I would love to debate this issue, but I like this topic more, so . . .

Regarding Creoles, everyone is right. However, the term has been more commonly known to be people of mixed heritage from New Orleans, since the 1800s. Although, I have been told on a plantation tour that it means anyone of French or Spanish descent in New Orleans.

Personally, I think the first definition of people of mixed (French, Spanish, African, and Indian) is a better or more commonly accepted definition. I believe the latter is becoming outdated. If it could be such a thing.

[piquedninni]

Both of Jada's parents are black. My friend went to school with Jada (North Carolina school of the arts). Jada is not biracial.

Phenotype does not provide a window onto genotype. A dark-skinned person like Nia Long or Gabrielle Union might have just as much white admixture as someone of lighter complexion. The actor Yaphet Kotto has white blood and is physically very much what most folks would assume to be an "unmixed" black. Looks (phenotype) can be deceiving. Similarly, Peter Ustinov, the famed actor, is descended from Ethiopian royalty.

Morton Downey is the descendant of a black Jamaican creole actor, Morris W. Morris (aka Lewis Morrison) who was also the ancestor of the white actress, Joan Bennett.

The link to the information regarding Morton Downey:
LINK

The site has interesting information about Louisiana Creoles in particular and creoles in general, including the mixed racial heritage of celebrities like Fats Domino, Joan Bennett, Bryant Gumbel, etc.

[Coffeecakes]

I agree with you completely piquedninni. I know what was being discussed was blackness, but this is similar. My mother's side of the family could also challenge the theory that the lighter you are, the more European you are, while the darker you are, the more ethnic you are. My grandfather was mixed directly with Indigenous(mother) and European(father) while my grandmother was of full European descent. Yet, 5 out of their 10 kids are dark, with black hair and brown eyes(one of my aunts looks pretty Indigenous), while the other 5 are pasty skinned with light brown hair(look full blown European). They are fully related, so to throw out a generalization that darker people are somehow less mixed is no offense, ridiculous.

But getting back on topic, is Sophie Marceau mixed with Asian? She looks mixed and reminds me of Zhang Ziyi.

[Deleted]

bakedcookie123 said:

That' s not true. At least I'm not 15% white at all.

Your right I meant 20%

What upsets me about the representation of dark-skinned women, or rather black women in general in the media is not only are they under represented, but they are not recognized for their beauty. Black women with broad features are usually portrayed asexual (whoopi goldburg) or as the comic relief (Monique) where as people with light skin for the most part dominate the sexpot, and 'pretty wife/girlfriend' roles.

Those few black stars who’s beauty has been recognized by mainstream are touted as multiracial (less black) as if to justify their appeal to white America. I can't tell you how many times i have heard; "Halle Berry/Beyonce is hot. Is she part white?" Even dark skinned women who are considered beautiful become multiracial with such as Naomi Campbell becomes a supermodel and then publicly becomes multiracial (1/16 Chinese), and some claim African born Iman, is said not be ethnically black at all but Somali.

[Oxynia]

One more reminder: this thread is for discussing CELEBS you did not know were multiracial. This is not a forum for discussing what constitutes black or white or the merits of light skin vs. dark skin in today's society. The debate is getting a little too political for the board so please go back to topic and keep it there. Thank you.

[bakedcookie123]

Your right I meant 20%

That is highly inaccurate. I don't have 20% of anything white in me. Funny how they only do studies on how much WHITE black folks have instead of how many don't.

Anywho, Jada is mixed. Most African Americans simply don't acknowledge their white ancestry which is why you're not aware of her having biraciality in her background.