Paula Patton
Patton in 2011, photo by s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Paula Maxine Patton
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Birth: December 5, 1975
Ethnicity:
*father – African-American
*mother – German, English, smaller amount of Dutch
Paula Patton is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films Hitch, Idlewild, Déjà Vu (2006), Jumping the Broom, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, 2 Guns, Warcraft, and Sacrifice (2019).
Her father, Charles Patton, is black. Her mother, Joyce (Van Raden), who is white, has German, English, and at least 1/16th Dutch, ancestry. Paula has identified herself as Black. She has stated:
I find it [the term “biracial”] offensive. It’s a way for people to separate themselves from African-Americans… a way of saying ‘I’m better than that.’ I’m black because that’s the way the world sees me. People aren’t calling Barack Obama biracial. Most people think there’s a black president.
Paula has a son with her former husband, singer and songwriter Robin Thicke.
Paula’s maternal grandfather was Benjamin Alexander Van Raden, Jr. (the son of Benjamin Van Raden and Grace Read Alexander). Paula’s grandfather Benjamin was born in New York. Paula’s great-grandfather Benjamin was born in Nebraska, the son of Carl Edward Holeman Van Raden, whose father was Dutch and whose mother was German, and of Louisa Bergman, whose parents were German. Paula’s great-grandmother Grace was born in New York, and had English ancestry. Grace was the daughter of Robert Read Alexander and Laura Davis, who were from Massachusetts.
Sources: Genealogy of Paula’s maternal grandfather, Benjamin Alexander Van Raden, Jr. – https://www.wikitree.com
Obituary of Paula’s maternal grandfather, Benjamin Alexander Van Raden, Jr. – http://www.legacy.com
Marriage record of Paula’s maternal great-grandparents, Benjamin Van Raden and Grace Read Alexander – https://familysearch.org
Paula’s maternal great-grandfather, Benjamin Van Raden, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Paula’s maternal great-grandmother, Grace Read Alexander, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Paula’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Carl Edward Holeman Van Raden and Louisa Bergman, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
To TTT,
Your right on one point,we should move on.However that’s a little hard to do when your still being discriminated against.All those other groups you mention can go places and not be looked down on because of the color of their skin,we can’t say that.Also we are treated badly in a country are kind help make,and I’m not talking about during slavery.Another thing,every time black people started to improve themselves.White people showed up to destroy it.Here’s an prime example :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwood,_Tulsa,_Oklahoma
This not the only time this has happen,so you tell me how black people are suppose to move on when this still happens?And I’m not talking about the stupid black fools running around.I mean actual hard working law abiding black people.
“I get so tired of seeing some of the most beautiful black women on the arm of the white slavemaster.”
Do you honestly think that whites were the only slave-masters throughout history? More blacks were the slaves of Arabs than whites. Maybe you should look into African history about your own slave societies too. Hell, just look at contemporary Africa: Slaves are abound… sex slaves, child-slave soldiers, laborers, etc.
“With slavery came racism and inequality”
Um… no. Inequality and prejudice against those different from you proceeded the Atlantic Slave Trade by thousands of years. Did YOU go to college? Social hierarchy goes back to the earliest civilizations — where some had power and others were discriminated against. That is just a defining characteristic of most complex societies.
“But everything can be traced back to history to who STOLE it, not had it but stole our resources and our people”
Maybe it is YOU who should learn history. Whites did not steal blacks, they bought you from other blacks and Arabs/Berbers. You do know that there was an already existing black slave trade before Europeans landed on Africa’s shores right? Millions of black Africans were trekked across the Sahara to the Muslim caliphates of North Africa and the Middle East.
But like “MB” said, it was not just blacks who were enslaved or discriminated against, it is just that blacks are the only ones who continue to dwell on it. Do you see Slavic peoples (whom the word “slave” comes from) complaining that they were slaves? How about Balkan peoples? Southern Europeans were taken as slaves during the Barbary Pirate Raids, but hey, they don’t complain either. The Irish were enslaved as well. Turks were enslaved too (“Mamluks” of Egypt). In fact, I can’t think of any ethnic, racial, or cultural group that has not been at one point in history subject to slavery or discrimination. WE ALL WERE. Blacks need to progress like everyone else. You don’t have to forget the past, but don’t let it justify your current failures. Every other race has moved on and prospered. Why can’t you?
Paula is mixed. I thought that was obvious.
Ok, I lvoe her but so many people are saying she’s Dominican….and i’ve been hearing it form only Dominicans. Um, I don’t care what she is but I definitely know She’s Not Dominican, god!
If paula patton wants to say she is black then who the hell are we to say otherwise???
If anything I have alot of respect for her because most black women don’t even want to say there black even though they clearly are. I’m not sayin deny what you are you should embrace your race that’s the problem. I swear black ppl get on my nerves sometimes. They got a little white or something in them a they take it and run with it. As a race we are all over the place and its getting ridiculous. We want to claim all these other races and then if a white person turn around and say the N word even though we supposedly half white and a quarter asian we all offended. Well how do you expect diiferent races to respect us when we don’t respect ourselves just by saying we’re black and being ok with it. I am an extremely fair skinned girl with grey eyes BUT I have two black parents and even dark skinned siblings so what does that make me????? I know BLACK and no one can tell me otherwise yes, I’m very aware I have white ancestors but, that dosen’t make me any less black. So all you racist ppl need to get over it. Also as far as interaccial dating goes get over it times are changing and as long as two ppl are togather because they love each other it doesn’t matter. Besides no one is saying anything when black men are running around with all these white women.