Rashida Jones
Jones in 2011, kathclick/bigstock.com
Birth Name: Rashida Leah Jones
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Birth: February 25, 1976
Ethnicity:
*father – African-American, with some English, Scottish, and Welsh
*mother – Ashkenazi Jewish
Rashida Jones is an American actress, writer, and producer. Her roles include I Love You, Man, Our Idiot Brother, Boston Public, The Office, and On the Rocks.
She is the daughter of music producer Quincy Jones and actress and model Peggy Lipton. She is a sister of actress Kidada Jones and a half-sister of model Kenya Kinski-Jones. She has a son with her partner, musician Ezra Koenig.
Rashida’s father was mainly of African-American [West African/Central African] ancestry, with some English, Scottish, and Welsh, heritage. Rashida’s mother was Jewish, of Russian Jewish, Belarusian Jewish, and Latvian Jewish descent. Rashida was raised Jewish, studied Hinduism, and is now a practicing Jew.
Rashida’s paternal grandfather was Quincy Delight/Delightt Jones (the son of Caesar Jones and Susannah/Susanna Burgess). Rashida’s grandfather Quincy was born in South Carolina, and was a semi-pro baseball player. Caesar and Susannah were both black. Susannah was the daughter of West Burgess and Adele, or of Osborne Burgess and Elizabeth.
Rashida’s paternal grandmother was Sarah Frances Wells (the daughter of Love Adam Wells and Mary Belle Lanier). Sarah was born in Mississippi. Love, who was black, was the son of Nelson Wells and Sarah Campbell. Mary’s father, James Balance Lanier, was white, and had mostly English, as well as Scottish and Welsh, ancestry. Mary’s mother, Cordelia Dickson, was black.
Rashida’s maternal grandfather was Harold Arlen Lipton (the son of Max Lipschitz/Lipton and Alice Goldfarb). Harold was born in The Bronx, New York City. Max and Alice were Jewish emigrants, Max from Slutsk and Alice from Brest, both in Belarus, then in the Russian Empire. Max was the son of Harris/Harold Lipschitz and Rebecca Leah Pitovsky/Witkowsky. Alice was the daughter of Aaron Goldfarb and Frieda/Freude Bass/Bab.
Rashida’s maternal grandmother was Rita Hetty Benson/Rosenberg (the daughter of Hyman Rosenberg and Jeanie “Jane” Benson). Rita was born in Dublin, Ireland. Hyman was a Russian Jewish emigrant, who was born in Saga, Province of Kemerovo, the son of Marko Benjamin Rosenberg and Sarah Hahn. Jeanie was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England, to Jewish parents from Latvia and/or Kaunas, Lithuania, Benjamin Joseph Bensohn/Benson, from Kovno, and Sophia Winestein/Weinstein.
A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show African American Lives (2006) stated that Rashida’s father’s, Quincy Jones’s, genetic ancestry was:
*66% Sub-Saharan African
*34% European
In his 2009 book about the show, In Search of Our Roots: How 19 Extraordinary African Americans Reclaimed Their Past, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. wrote that Quincy’s African DNA matched the Tikar people of Cameroon, the Sukuma people of Tanzania, the Tonga people of Mozambique, and the Fang people of Equatorial Guinea.
Sources: Genealogy of Rashida Jones – https://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Rashida Jones (focusing on her mother’s side) – http://www.wikitree.com
“I am Italian and African American but in this society, if you even have an ounce of Black in you, you’re considered Black, I embrace it.” -Alicia Keys
That is Alicia’s right to say such, HOWEVER over 9 million people identify as two or more races according to the 2010 census. Therefore WE are part of society as well. Society doesn’t define us, we define ourselves, just like we decide what color socks we wear each day, and the food we eat. If society isn’t paying my bills and keeping me fed then it cannot force me to identify as one race.
Also where is your link to this quote. Please cite your sources. If there were a class you would be in trouble for plagarism.
Thank you for saying this!
I think there are some good points made here. I find the attempts in some quarters to ‘force’ people of mixed race to identify exclusively as ‘black’ to be ultimately unhealthy. This sort of ‘one-drop rule’ way of thinking only serves to reinforce the divisive ‘color line’ where otherwise mixed race persons would help to at long last blur it. We can’t read people’s minds, and to tell someone something like “I don’t care what YOU say, I think you’re saying you’re ‘bi-racial’ to deny your blackness, therefore, I will not accept you unless you deny your non-blackness” is obnoxious and oppressive.
It also is inherently white supremacist in my opinion, since by this way of thinking, a white woman can give birth to a black child but a black woman cannot give birth to a white child.
I think the recent, slowly growing acceptance of the reality of multi-racial people is a very positive development towards moving beyond the shallow, divisive, overly simplistic and unrealistic black/white/other view of race.
With respect to Alicia Keyes, she’s really beautiful obviously talented and all but she says some remarkably foolish things. While I can’t read her mind, I must say, I sometimes get the impression that she says these things to show her ‘allegiance’ to the black race, which she perhaps feels may be in question due to her Caucasian features and light complexion. It seems some mixed race people feel like they have to ‘pick a side’, and once they do so, regularly demonstrate their authenticity by making conspicuous dramatic displays of ‘their blackness’.
Rashida is cool! She looks caucasian,but I can see some African in her. Her dark complexion and her facial structure. She’s really pretty no matter what her race is.
To Sonia
First,I have no problem with your mother or your white blood.Also those on this site will tell you,I would never tell you to deny your background.Now I didn’t say all bi-racial people did anything.Now I don’t know your situation,but as far as mistreatment well that’s a two way street,I’ve seen it as well as it’s been shown through history.
Now see this is what I don’t get,you said them calling themselves mixed is annoying sometimes,Why?Because what I see is,your upset because their trying to say their like you.I mean it shouldn’t mess with you at all,their not you so why should you care what they say?
Ok, you mention distant white ancestors.Let’s take me,both my great grand fathers were white,both my great grand mother were creoles.Both my grandmothers were half white.One grandfather was white and the other was a black latino.Now would I be see as mixed to you,not that I ever call myself that,but what would you say?
Now as far as Quincy Jones goes 2/3 black and 1/3 white,that is mixed,just not to your degree;I mean who makes the rules.Also what about the white mother?I think she had a little bit to contribute to the mix of the daughters.However I see Quincy as a black man,but that’s how I grew up,there was never just one color of black around me.
Now as far as La toya,skin color doesn’t really tell you how much white blood is or isn’t in a family(example) take Tom joyner who is 33% white,yet he is far lighter than Linda johnson rice who is 40% white
Oh yeah I forgot I a little asian to
“Now see this is what I don’t get,you said them calling themselves mixed is annoying sometimes,Why?Because what I see is,your upset because their trying to say their like you.I mean it shouldn’t mess with you at all,their not you so why should you care what they say?” Fuzzybear
Fuzzybear, I already explained that a white mom or dad or grandparent is different from distant white ancestors. And that half black half white people’s experiences are different from people’s with distant white ancestors. Based on your description of yourself, I’d call you mixed, Fuzzybear. The thing is, is that some black people with little white ancestry claim to be “mixed.” As if their limited white ancestry from their one white great grandmother (out of 8 total great grandparents) and their dad’s *alleged* half-white lost grandpa are the same as and amount to my white mom (or your white grandparent, etc.). This is what is kind of annoying.
But you’re right-why let it bother me?
Again…as far as Quincy goes, he is as “mixed” as many black people in the US. As far as I know (and I looked all over to make sure) he has no white parent or grandparent. Judging by Latoya Jackson’s light (lighter than Quincy’s) skin, it’s fair to say that her and her brother Michael Jackson’s family has the same or similar racial mixture as Quincy’s (like Tom Joyner)…but nobody ever refers to darker-skinned Michael as “mixed” in everyday conversation. People are just picking and choosing based on perceived heritage rather than actual heritage.
So, you’re right – you can’t always tell a person’s heritage from skin color. Michael’s darker (original) skin color covered up the white blood in his family and threw people off, leading them to believe that he was somehow “100% black.” No black person (or his or her siblings) with skin as light as LaToya’s (Michael’s biological sibling), or Jo Jackson’s, or Quincy’s, or Tom Joyner’s, is 100% black with no measurable portion of white blood. Your own statistics reflect this.
Light skin doesn’t automatically mean a person must! have a white parent or grandparent (i.e. Quincy Jones, LaToya Jackson). Darker skin doesn’t automatically mean a person has no measurable white blood (i.e. Michael Jackson).
Bottom line: White parents and even grandparents are different from distant white ancestors from way back.
To have distant white ancestors from way back while being mostly black is to be black with distant white ancestors (like most of the entire US black population in varying degrees). Technically mixed but not “mixed” in the truest sense of the word.
To have a white parent and a black parent (more or less) is to be mixed in the truest sense of the word.
ps- I am also part Native American (a small percentage from my *black* dad’s side. And yes, he has some white blood too, like most black Americans, but he is black).
I’m done with obsessing and stressing over this topic. Peace out!
To Sonia
LOOOOL,alright babygirl I’ll get off your back,I’m a pest and I know it;We all good?
But Great Grandparents Are Not Distant. Your Grandparents Will Be Your Child’s (If You Have Any) Great Grandparents And I Don’t See How Its Distant. Specially When Their Is Eight Of Them. You Can Say Great Great Grandparent (Who Share 6.25% And There Is 16 Of Them) Or Great Great Great Grandparent (3.125% And There Is 32 Of Them) Is Distant Because, Not Because Of The Amount Of Genes You Share (If Your Gonna Say That Then Basically You Don’t Like Your Cousins; 1st Cousin 2nd Cousin And I Guess 3rd Cousin).
Maybe Someone Says They Have This And That Because They Have Met Their Ancestor Who Help Them Embrace That Ethnicity.
I Don’t Want Too Get You Upset And This Is Not Ment Too Bother You. I Just Wanted To Share My Opinion. Pls Don’t Get Offended!
Ok, Shay.
I am mixed. My mom is white and my dad is black. I obviously do know what mixed is. Having distant white ancestors while being mostly black is a lot different from having a white parent and a black parent. Implying that distant white ancestors are the exact same thing as a white mom or dad or even grandparent is ignorant and takes away from the experiences that people like me, with parents of two races, have. Quincy has some mixed blood, but he is not “a mixed person” in the exact same sense that I am. He has no white parent and is predominantly black. What is left of my own valid identity if everyone and their mom calls themselves “mixed” because they are insecure with themselves and feel the need to jump on the “I’m mixed” bandwagon? I definitely agree that people with any degree of mixed blood can acknowledge and embrace it (why shouldn’t they?), but do it without watering down and stealing my identity.
Half and half people have the right to identify themselves as mixed without others with very different racial histories clamoring for the exact same identity. Maybe the issue would be solved if half and half people were allowed (like we really need permission) our own unique word, regardless of who’s offended by it.
Coincidentaly, I myself am “white looking” like Rashida and her sister (who also looks fairly white, imo), only I have paler skin, as white as my white mom’s. My dad is much darker than Quincy Jones (about as dark as Michael Jackson originally was, in fact). This is why the topic of Rashida’s family history is so intriguing to me.
Like Kirra pointed out, Adrian, I never said “Africans” are mixed. I said most black people in America have mixed blood (because it’s the truth).
Quincy Jones is black. He has some white blood, like most black people in America, but he is black. To act like he’s somehow mostly Welsh or has some mysterious, un-named “white grandma” (like the original commenter said) because his daughters came out white looking is kind of suspicious. Quincy is no different from many other black people in the US – only when he has “white” looking kids is when people try to play up his Welsh/white heritage.
Muhammed Ali is part Irish (his great grandfather, Abe Grady, was directly from Ireland), so is he largely white now? I guess if he had white looking kids, people would be insisting and demanding that he is “mixed” instead of black. Until then he’s black to most people.
What I’m saying is, people only label people according to what is most convenient. When Quincy has white looking kids, it’s “because of his white blood.” He becomes a so-called “mulatto” all of a sudden. But when darker skinned Michael Jackson (who also had white blood and even had a fairly light skinned sister-Latoya) has white looking kids, people freak out and say there is no possible way they can be his kids because “he is black.” Michael had mixed blood. And Quincy has mixed blood. What’s the difference?
If Michael Jackson had been born with skin as light as his sister LaToya’s, more people would be accepting of the fact that his kids are his biological kids.
Hellokitty – Quincy’s heritage info above was changed after I commented about it. It used to list Welsh first, then African American.
I understand where you are coming from. I believe that someone up to 1/8 something should be considered mixed. Each 1/8 would be your parents grandparents and 1/8 is a fair amount.
Though there is one thing I do not agree on. Why does it matter if african american comes first or last? I don’t get why it matters? I find it a bit racist. All races and ethnicities are equal, so it doesn’t matter in which order they are named. And maybe they didn’t put african american first, because she doesn’t look like one. That is possible. I mean it’s been said so many times on here, people categorize you by how you look like.
Them not putting african american first doesn’t mean that they think of african american as any less than the other races. And it shouldn’t matter in which order her ethnicities/races are mentioned.
Welsh used to be listed first for Quincy’s heritage info above, as if to imply that Quincy has more Welsh/white blood than black (he doesn’t).
I meant black people with very distant white ancestors should reevaulate calling themselves “mixed” because having very distant white ancestors while being (mostly) black is a lot different from having a black (or mostly black) parent and a white parent. Maybe you misinterepeted my comments as “gee, half black half white people sure are special, and we should have our own special name… because we’re special.”
For your first question: I’d have a “problem” being labeled white, white and only white. Should I be ok with being labeled black, black, and only black, that’s it, period, end of story, how DARE you mention your white mom, you’re supposed to deny that, what’s wrong with you, you must be !AAASSHHAAAMEDDD! of your black blood because you mentioned your white blood? Should I “betray” either parent? Would you? Do you have a problem with me acknowledging my white mom and my white blood?
My ancestry is what it is. It speaks for itself. Period.
It needs to be mentioned how a lot of black people (in the US) use the “all black people are mixed, you are no different” excuse for trying to shame half black half white people into denying their white parent/blood. They try to pressure half and half people into falsely believing that there is no point in acknowledging our white blood because, after all, “we’re all mixed.” It looks like you may be trying to do this. And it should also be acknowledged how poorly some black people treat “biracials,” and how all “biracials” don’t mistreat black people as you imply.
For your other questions: I’m not going to explain again how having very distant white ancestors while being (mostly) black is different from having one white parent and one black parent.
Black people calling themselves “mixed” as if they have a white parent (or any non-black parent) or something doesn’t hurt me – it’s just a little annoying sometimes.
There should be some basic acknowledgment that distant white ancestors don’t make a person mixed in the same sense as a white mom or dad does. This is why I consider people like me with parents of two (or more) races “mixed,” while I don’t consider black people like my dad, or Michael Jackson, or Quincy Jones, or the entire black US population “mixed” in the truer sense of the way the word is used.
And this is why I found it suspicious that all of a sudden Quincy Jones is “mixed” just because his kids turned out white looking, even though he otherwise would be considered black. Why is only Quincy considered mixed when Michael Jackson’s sister LaToya is lighter than Quincy (which shows the amount of white blood in that family)? Most people just pick and choose the label that is most convenient.
*Sorry I know this is late , but i felt the need to comment after coming across this site*
In the truest sense of the word, I believe everyone who is not 100% African is mixed, but how mixed seems to be debated. I can’t understand why it is important for people to identify themselves with race.
Who cares?
Who are you telling this to?
Why are they asking?
Seems to me race is a way to put yourself in a box or in a special sector. Are you going to treat me different because you now know my race? If not then who cares , and if you are then your a racist. Unless you’re teaching your family about their family history (which I think is important) there’s no reason to talk about it other than self knowledge.
I could be wrong but I always understood “black” to be a mixture of races but predominately African. If this is the case then all the Halle Berry’s, Barack Obama’s and Sonia’s of the world are Black.
My reasoning explained: Since all life began in Africa, that would make every single being living, some percentage African. So if you have just one black parent that’s enough to make you black. Considering that majority rules and any percentage over 50 is more than half.
“It needs to be mentioned how a lot of black people (in the US) use the “all black people are mixed, you are no different” excuse for trying to shame half black half white people into denying their white parent/blood. They try to pressure half and half people into falsely believing that there is no point in acknowledging our white blood because, after all, “we’re all mixed.” It looks like you may be trying to do this. And it should also be acknowledged how poorly some black people treat “biracials,” and how all “biracials” don’t mistreat black people as you imply.”
I don’t think this is a way to shame you into denying anything but more so fact. I think anyone who is 50% or more black stating I am not such is a form of self hatred. I find it sad people want to distance themselves from “black” as much as possible. This how you get the darker blacks discriminating against lighter blacks and vice versa, this is what further categorization does , it forces us to separate ourselves which continues the discrimination to no end. So its not just you sonia, who experience mistreatment from blacks or whites its pretty much everyone, and sometime most often by other blacks and even themselves.
At the end of the day what does it matter what race someone is. If you’re prepared to treat everyone equally, then just sit back and admire the all the different shades of beauty God has graced us with , without trying to put it into a box.
Also, wanted to mention to Sonia, how light you are has no direct correlation to how much white is in your family. If that were the case then a light child would have at least one lighter parent.
To Sonia
Ok,you say you should be able to be called yourself your own unique name,would or do you have a problem being ID as African American?Now I see this is a continual problem that has plagued the black community for generations.You have Bi-racial and creoles trying their best to keep from being called black.They came up with all kinds of things like calling themselves (gens de couleur libres) to the paperbag test.Bi-racial people being as cruel as any white person just to keep from being seen as black.Now don’t get me wrong,there are a lot of stereotypes attach to black people,that most would want to distant themselves from being called black,and I understand that;although most of those same stereotypes could be attach to every other culture as well.Now from my own observation,at least from this site I’ve seen that the ones with whom the white parent is the mother;tend to have the most problem being called black or African American.Now again from my own observation,I think you guys believe you would be betraying your white parent if you call yourself black;am I close?
One other thing,How are people stealing your identity?They say their mixed how is that hurting you?Also you say their not mixed like you,what if their 60% black with 20% this 20% that,but look black are they not mixed?I asking this because who has the right to say what someone is
Wrong wrong wrong…quincy jones is african american as a dna in 2006 proved on pbs!
You Funked up going by information you saw on T.V. when the Whole purpose of the Media is to Deceive the Mass Public. Do your own Research instead of going by what you saw on TV instead what you Researched on.