Rozonda Thomas
Rozonda Thomas in 2012, photo by PR Photos
Birth Name: Rozonda Ocielian Thomas
Place of Birth: Columbus, Georgia, U.S.
Date of Birth: February 27, 1971
Ethnicity: African-American, as well as 1/16th Bengali Indian, 1/16th African-Antiguan, possibly Native American
Rozonda Thomas, also known as Chilli, is an American dancer, singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. She has been a member of R&B/hip hop girl-group TLC, with Lisa Lopes and Tionne Watkins, replacing original member, and co-founder, Crystal Jones. The group was managed by Perri “Pebbles” Reid.
She is the daughter of Ava Thomas and Abdul Ali. Her great-grandfather’s brother was singer Bardu Ali. Rozonda has a son with her former partner, producer Dallas Austin.
She is African-American, and also has a Bengali Indian great-great-grandfather and an African-Antiguan great-great-grandmother.
Rozonda has been described as having Native American ancestry. It is not clear if this Native American ancestry has been verified/documented.
Rozonda’s paternal grandfather was Arfien Joseph Ali (the son of Arfien/Arfin Ali and Lucille/Lucile Lyons). Rozonda’s grandfather Arfien was born in Louisiana. Rozonda’s great-grandfather Arfien was born in Mississippi, and was the son of Moksad Ali, a Bengali Muslim trader, who was born in Hooghly, West Bengal, India, and of Ella Blackman, an African-American. Rozonda’s great-grandmother Lucille was the daughter of William Lyons and Lottie Green.
Rozonda’s paternal grandmother was Margaret Augusta Lane (the daughter of Clifford Lane and Augusta M. J. Bennett). Margaret was born in New York. Augusta’s father, Edmund Robert Bennett, was born on Saint John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, and was a bishop of the African Orthodox Church. Augusta’s mother, Marguerite Fields, was born in Iowa.
Rozonda Thomas (left) with Tionne Watkins and Lisa Lopes in 1995, photo by Prphotos
Sources: Rozonda Thomas meeting her father’s family – https://www.youtube.com
Rozonda’s paternal grandfather, Arfien Joseph Ali, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Rozonda’s paternal great-grandparents, Arfien/Arfin Ali and Lucille/Lucile Lyons – https://www.familysearch.org
Rozonda’s paternal great-grandfather, Arfien/Arfin Ali, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Information on Rozonda’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Moksad Ali and Ella Blackman – https://video.wedu.org
http://www.tajmahalfoxtrot.com
Rozonda’s paternal great-grandmother, Lucille/Lucile Lyons, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Rozonda’s paternal great-great-grandparents, William Lyons and Lottie Green – https://www.familysearch.org
Rozonda’s paternal grandmother, Margaret Augusta Lane, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
WORD OF ADVICE FOR YOU BEFORE STATING SOMETHING MAKE SURE YOU ARE RIGHT FIRST BEFORE LOOKING DUMB !
The dougla, specifically half-African and half-Indian descent, arose as a result of Colonial social conditions during the period of Indian indentureship Plantation Economy. There are sporadic records of Indo-Euro miscegenation, both forced and unforced, before any ethnic mixing of the African and Indian variety. Indian women were a minority among the earlier migrants. Many did not take the voyage across the Atlantic for several reasons, among them the fear of exploitation and the assumption that they were unfit for labor.[2] The first douglas were likely the result of interactions between Indian males and African women. However, the dougla was not particularly welcomed by the Indian community. Don’t act like you know more that Somebody when infact you know nothing at all ! Thank you -A CARIBBEAN DOUGLA !
ME BEING DOUGLA MYSELF & FROM THE CARIBBEAN I AM TELLING YOU IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT ! -_- DOUGLA IS A MIXED BETWEEN BLACK & INDIAN FROM THE CARIBBEAN ! NOT INDIAN & CHINESE OR INDIAN & WHITE ! JUST BLACK AND INDIAN Here ! Since you think you know Dougla, a word used by people of the West Indies, especially in Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. It is used to describe Caribbean people who are a product of African and East Indian descent. It is a non-hereditary means of naming people; that is, dougla progeny would usually be categorized as another race based on the progeny’s appearance, even in the case of dougla-dougla unions.
@WestIndiangrl, I am Guyanese and yes dougl’as are recognized as half black and half Indians but unless they look Indian, they are treated as blacks.
@WestIndiangrl, half my family is “dougla” but they look and consider themselves as blacks. And they are treated as blacks in the Carribean. I do know some douglas who pass as full blood Indians too. Everyone knows they are half Indian but the reality is that socially they end up choosing either black or Indian identification based upon physical appearances. If they look too black the Indians wont accept them as Indian and I they look too Indian the blacks wont accept them. So they chose as side either black or Indian.
1) I can bet a thousand dollar on the fact that any Muslim guy would keep “Abdul-Ali” as name. This is a heretical name among Muslims. The word “Abdul” should always end with any name of God (Allah) I.e. Abdul-Rashid, Abdul-Karim.
Name of persons such as Ali, Ahmad, Muhammad, Umar etc. can’t be added after “Abdul”.
This clearly shows that you have made up this name “Abdul-Ali” to claim Muslim ancestry which in turn to claim Middle-Eastern ancestry.
2) Indian populatipn which is settled in Guyana is mostly belongs to Dassyus (Slaves)/Shudras(Untoucheble)/Adivasi (Tribal) community who were forced to work for British colonies in Caribbean islands. These community have Australoids ancestry.
Surely, you can claim that because there is a sizable community of Tribals in East-India.
3) From which side are you a Native-American. If your father was a half-“Unspecified Middle-Eastern” and half-“Unspecified East-Indian” and your mother was African-American, then which side is Native-American.
4) There are mainly four types of people in East India -1) Dravidians 2) Aryans 3) Tibeto-Burmese 4) Adivasis (Australoids)
To which type did your father belonged to ? only he could tell only if he ever had existed.
5) There are several types of people in Middle-East. Some are Brown skinned, some of them are Blue-eyed Blondes, some people are Mongoloids and some people are Afro-Asiatics.
So all them aren’t blacks, that’s what you are thinking.
6) “Dougla/Dogla” is a derogatory word in Hindi which is more of an insult.
3) From which side are you a Native-American. If your father was a half-“Unspecified Middle-Eastern” and half-“Unspecified East-Indian” and your mother was African-American, then which side is Native-American.
4) There are mainly four types of people in East India -1) Dravidians 2) Aryans 3) Tibeto-Burmese 4) Adivasis (Australoids)
To which type did your father belonged to ? only he could tell only if he ever had existed.
5) There are several types of people in Middle-East. Some are Brown skinned, some of them are Blue-eyed Blondes, some people are Mongoloids and some people are Afro-Asiatics.
So all them aren’t blacks, that’s what you are thinking.
6) “Dougla/Dogla” is a derogatory word in Hindi which is more of an insult.
Dougla is a word use by west indians/Caribbean & to use dougla is derogatory Its a mix of black & indian ! Just like coloured in south africa is used to describe a person who is halfblack/white & isn’t derogatory
let me tell you
it has nothing to do with being or black and Indian.
It’s mostly refer to half Indian . It’s literal meaning is “double” not necessarily being mixed with someone like in this case black
In I Indian context “Dougla” (half this and half that) can be Indian belongings to two different religious background or cast or class.
And dougla can be half Chinese and Indian.
Is it derogatory for Indian who speaks the fucking language.
Say this word to an Indian and he’ll be laughing for your stupidity.
And India is multilingual and multiethnic country it has 1000 languages
Imagine saying that to an Tamil who don’t speaks hindi Pali. Also which part of India are you for or mixed with
It important to know
you can’t start claiming Kashmiri (and other i.e.Indo- Burmese laddkhi) people because they’re Indian annd your half indian (Dougla) You and they do not belongs to same genpool lol. Your ancestry is from specific (ethnical lingual) part of India.
Word of advice
Sis befor borrowing exotic word to sounds exotic learn a few thing.
Okay we know the word derives from “Doogala” which is derogatory. But in Trini Guyana Dougla means half black half Indian… It’s an island ting. I know most Indians hate the mix but there’s a lot of us with Indian blood. In Trini we don’t care about color lines that’s just wack.
Btw her father is West Indian we all don’t know where in India we’re from. Our ancestors were bunched together similar to Africans being brought to the new world. I have distant cousins in Punjab & Maharashtra so that says enough there…
Btw Chilli has a Trini cousin on Instagram so I’m guessing Mr Ali and her family are Douglas from Trini. Her father has black blood in him but he’s mixed