Jada Pinkett Smith

Pinkett Smith in 2003, photo by DFree/Bigstock

Birth Name: Jada Koren Pinkett

Place of Birth: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

Date of Birth: September 18, 1971

Ethnicity:
*father – African-American
*mother – African-/Creole-Barbadian, African-/Creole-Jamaican

Jada Pinkett Smith, also credited as Jada Pinkett, is an American actress, dancer, singer, songwriter, and businessperson. She has starred in Woo, Scream 2, The Nutty Professor, and The Matrix films. She is the wife of actor/musician Will Smith, and the mother of actors/musicians Jaden Smith and Willow Smith.

Jada is the daughter of Adrienne Banfield-Jones and Robsol Grant Pinkett. Her father was of African-American descent. Jada’s maternal grandfather was an emigrant from Barbados, of African-Barbadian descent, while Jada’s maternal grandmother was the daughter of emigrants from Jamaica, who were of African- or Creole-Caribbean descent. Her brother is actor/writer Caleeb Pinkett.

An article in the New York Times Syndicate stated that Jada also has some degree of Portuguese Jewish ancestry. It is not clear if this ancestry has been verified/documented. Many people of African-Caribbean descent do have a small amount of Sephardi Jewish ancestry.

Jada’s paternal grandfather was Robsol Grant Pinkett (the son of Maslin Frysinger Pinkett and Martha Josephine Dyer). Robsol was born in Maryland. Maslin was the son of Daniel James Pinkett and Sarah E. Peaker. Martha was the daughter of Eli Dyer and Alverta Hackett.

Jada’s paternal grandmother was Shirley Nancy Crystal Holland (the daughter of James P. Holland and Alice Whitehead). Alice was the daughter of Joe Whitehead and Sallie Watkins.

Jada’s maternal grandfather was Gilbert Leslie Banfield (the son of Gilbert Banfield and Ella E. R. Parris/Paris). Jada’s grandfather Gilbert and his parents, who were black, were from Saint Michael, Barbados, in the West Indies/Caribbean.

Jada’s maternal grandmother was Marion Eliza Martin (the daughter of Ralph Nunis Martin and Daisy Maude Costa/Coster). Marion was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to emigrants from Jamaica (Saint Ann and Kingston, respectively). Marion, along with her parents, are listed as “Mulatto” on the 1920 U.S. Census. Marion is listed as “Black” on the 1930 U.S. Census. Ralph was the son of James Wisdom Martin and Louisa Ann McCormick.

Pinkett Smith in 2010, cinemafJoe Seer / Shutterstock.com

Sources: Genealogy of Jada Pinkett Smith – http://www.geni.com

Genealogy of Jada Pinkett Smith (focusing on her father’s side) – https://www.wikitree.com

Jada’s maternal grandfather, Gilbert Leslie Banfield, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Birth record of Jada’s maternal grandmother, Marion Eliza Martin – https://familysearch.org

Jada’s maternal grandmother, Marion Eliza Martin, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marion Eliza Martin on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org