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
she was rumored to have samoan in her,but no she isn’t of samoan desent.
why is everyone so focused on discrediting this man as his race i mean seriously who cares i myself am arab and black my dad looks just like chilli’s dad and he is 100 percent my mother is black but like you say we all come in diffffffffferent colors just look at the black race ranging from hi light to very dark so just get over it that man is her dad all yall haters need to go and read a ethnicity book
My father is pakistani, and he looks a lot like chilli’s dad, except my father is darker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiA9QiAnA8I
African tribe lost in India
some ethiopian are light because they are mixed with middle easterns
so why cant some middle easterns look dark because the are mixed ethioian
true. there was a hige amount of slaves taken from africa and brought to the middleeast the same time as the slaves were being exported to america. plus the middle east/asia.africa.europe are all old world countries mixing has been going on since the beginning of time there, when race didn’t even exist and it was just a matter of what culture are you from. At some point we all came from the same place so there will be similarities.
To OMG
The funny thing is,it was the Africans that started the middle Eastern people,the Asian etc
right!! well actually im not quite sure. I used to think the cradle of like was eastern africa since that’s where the oldest remains have been from and it makes since. I was watching something on the HIstory channel or whatever and now I believe the first beings proabably came from the region where ancient Sumeria was. Not sure. But to make all the various skin colors of the world Id think the first humans would have to be a more brownish/olive complexion. But i find the issue of race so annoying since it’s a relatively new concept. Im not saying people didn’t mistrust others based on skin tone 2000 years ago, but it was more becuase it marked you as being from outside their native culture/religion. Clearly people were traveling/ mixing since ancient times.
To OMG
I do agree about the brown skin,I stated that before myself.Also doctors do say that everyone is brown,even the ones that appear to be black.I guess it like with bears,from the source bear which is the brown bear.Now from that color,you get all others(polar to black bear),and I believe this the same for human.Although I do believe we started in Africa.They do the actual first wave that went out died off,and the second wave took another route