Rihanna
02/24/2016 – Rihanna – BRIT Awards 2016 – Arrivals – O2 Arena – London, UK – Photo Credit: Landmark / PR Photos
Birth Name: Robyn Rihanna Fenty
Place of Birth: Saint Michael, Barbados
Date of Birth: February 20, 1988
Ethnicity:
*father – mix of African-Barbadian and European-Barbadian [Scottish, English, Irish]
*mother – African-Guyanese
Rihanna is a Barbadian singer, songwriter, businessperson, dancer, record producer, and actress. She has been Barbadian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, since 20 September, 2018.
She is the daughter of Ronald Fenty, who is from Barbados, and Monica (Brathwaite), who is from Guyana. She has two children with her partner, American rapper, songwriter, and record producer ASAP Rocky.
Rihanna’s paternal grandfather was African-Barbadian. Rihanna’s paternal grandmother, who is white, has Scottish, English, and Irish ancestry. Rihanna’s mother is of African-Guyanese descent. In an interview with Allure magazine, Rihanna stated that she was bullied in school and called ‘white’ by the other kids while growing up in Barbados.
Rihanna’s paternal grandfather was named Reginald Leslie Forde (the son of Helen Forde). Helen was the daughter of Joseph Nathanael “Joe” Forde and Louisa Jane Bascom.
Rihanna’s paternal grandmother is Elizabeth “Betty” Fenty (the daughter of Stanley Fitzherbert Fenty and Hilda Olga Coppin). Elizabeth is white. Her parents were born in Barbados. The surname Fenty is usually Scottish and the surname Coppin is usually English. Rihanna’s grandmother is also cited as having Irish ancestry. Elizabeth is from a family of “Red Legs,” descendants of slaves from the British Isles who were sent to Barbados. Stanley likely was the grandson of John Fitzherbert Fenty and Mary Louisa Jane Fenty.
Rihanna’s maternal grandfather is named Lionel Brathwaite.
Rihanna’s maternal grandmother is named Clara “Dolly” Viola Venetta Johnson.
Rihanna in 2011
Sources: Genealogy of Rihanna – https://www.geni.com
Death record of Rihanna’s paternal great-grandparents, Stanley Fitzherbert Fenty and Hilda Olga Coppin – http://www.findagrave.com
Obituary of Rihanna’s maternal grandmother, Clara Viola Venetta (Johnson) Brathwaite – http://downesandwilson.com
Listen…
Race as we know it is a myth, a social construct. A social
construction or social construct is any phenomenon “invented” or
“constructed” by participants in a culture or society, existing
because people agree to behave as if it exists or follow certain
conventional rules. “The Social Construction of Reality” (1966).
“One example of a social construct is social status!”
– (John 8:32)
Exactly my point, people don’t seem to understand that. It has to be the way that THEY see it or it’s wrong.
Rihanna is so stupid. She doesnt even look white so why would someone call her that.. she seems like some who is always out for attention by making up silly shit about herself for promotion .. she is so dam annoying!
You do know that people get darker overtime right?
Maybe she was light skinned or something at one point.
I read somewhere that where she grew up, people were a lot darker than her.
And her hair probably made her look “more white”
Just saying.
In Barbados, light skinned people are considered White even when they’re not. You should read about it instead of judging her like that, don’t you know that countries perceive race differently? You’re the one who’s stupid! She WAS considered White growing up!
@nmakara
I’m also from the Caribbean with “hi yella” relatives. No time growing up did I ever hear any of them called “white”. They weren’t really called anything, at least in general family conversation. However, when describing my grandmother or relatives, I HAVE used the term “hi yella” to describe them. I guess some of them could have passed for “white”, but, to my knowledge, they were never CALLED “white, at least not by us. Now my great-grandmother WAS white, of white Portuguese descent, and she WAS called “white”, but that’s about it. Just saying…
As for Rihanna, I don’t know why everyone keeps calling her ‘mulatta”. She’s NOT; she’s not half-black/half white! She’s just like many Caribbean women, including myself, with white ancestry in our background, either via grandparents or great-grandparents. However, I don’t claim to be “mulatta”. I just claim black. If anything, she’s multiracial. Geesh, people!
I called her “mulata” because at least in my language that doesn’t mean half Black/half White, it means “of White and Black descent”, not half and half and it’s even used to call people who are lighter. And I read about Barbados, not the entire Caribbean, I’m sure it’s different in each country, it’s not just because they are all in the Caribbean that they do everything the same way!
To Juli
Well with that in mind,wouldn’t call a huge amount of African Americans that?
irish my ass
Also, you can’t base race on skin color. To say that jay-z is “black” and rihanna is “mulatta” is not necessarily accurate. They could have the same mix but one could be darker than the other. I have two cousins who are biracial (same parents and everything) and one came out much lighter than the other. Genetics is more complicated than that. Wyclef Jean, Akon, Lil’ Wayne, Rihanna, T.I., Halle Berry, etc are ALL mixed, multiracial people that consider themselves/are considered/identify with being black.
Also, it’s pretty common for people in the West Indies to call light-skinned black people “white” or “red-skinned”. It’s silly because that person is usually the aunt of or some relative of a dark-skinned black person. We really need to get over that skin-color-based-separatist mentality. That’s pretty much the case with my aunt and my great grandmother. They are both very pale and some family members call them “red-skinned” but it’s usually meant in an affectionate way, strange as that is.
If people in the West Indies can call light-skinned Black people “White” or “red-skinned”, why can’t people in MY country consider Rinhanna “mulata” and Jay-Z Black? That’s how WE do it, why are you judging?
When I talked about it, my purpose was to make people understand that race is something cultural, you didn’t get that. In the country where I live, THAT is how it goes.
Some people from countries other than USA were saying that Rihanna wasn’t Black because she’s too light, so I got in the conversation and said that in mine she wouldn’t be considered Black either and that people that perceive race differently because of their different countries were arguing about it and it will ALWAYS be different in each country.
I will never see Rihanna as Black, especially because where I live, no one does.
I know that genetics is more complicated than that, two brothers with the same parents might be considered of different races here, so I’m not gonna start telling people to consider genetics because no one examined their genes, we do it the way we do it, just like Americans consider someone slightly Black as Black, we would never do that. I think it’s strange because Rihanna isn’t Black to me, but I wouldn’t tell any American to consider her something different than what Americans perceive, so don’t say that the way that I was taught to perceive people is wrong!
Most Black people aren’t even pure Blacks and have to be called that in the US while Whites have to be pure to be White and I didn’t even say anything about that and THAT seems wrong!!