Vanessa L. Williams
Williams in 2011, kathclick/bigstock.com
Birth Name: Vanessa Lynn Williams
Place of Birth: Tarrytown, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: March 18, 1963
Ethnicity: African-American, along with some English and Welsh
Vanessa L. Williams is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, model, and television personality. She was the first African-American to win the Miss America Pageant, in 1983. Her roles include the films Eraser, Soul Food, Hoodlum, Dance with Me, Light It Up, Shaft (2000), Batman: Hush, and Bad Hair, and the series Ugly Betty.
Vanessa is the daughter of Helen L. (Tinch) and Milton Augustine Williams, Jr. Her parents were both black. Her brother is actor and comedian Chris Williams. Vanessa grew up in the mainly white middle-class suburb of Millwood, New York. Vanessa is married to businessperson Jim Skrip. She has three children, including dancer and singer Jillian Hervey, with her former husband, public relations specialist Ramon Hervey II; and a daughter with her former husband, Canadian basketball player and actor Rick Fox.
An AncestryDNA test taken by Vanessa stated that her genetic ancestry is:
*56% African
——–*23% Ghana
——–*15% Cameroon/Congo
——–*7% Togo
——–*6% Benin
——–*5% Senegal
*44% European
——–*17% British Isles
——–*12% Finnish/Ural/Volga
——–*11% Southern European
——–*4% Spain/Portugal
In an interview, a journalist stated that Vanessa’s mixed heritage includes African-American, Welsh, and Native American. No Native American markers appear on her DNA test. Vanessa appeared on the program Who Do You Think You Are? (2011), where she discovered that her great-great-grandfather, David Carll, was a “mulatto” (mixed race) man who avoided slavery and married a white woman (her great-great-grandmother).
Vanessa’s ancestry is at least 1/32nd English. One of her maternal great-great-great-grandfathers, George Appleford, was born in Surrey, England, in 1802.
Vanessa’s paternal grandfather was Milton Augustine/Abner Williams (the son of John Hill Williams and Mary L. Fields). Milton was born in Tennessee. John was the son of George Williams and Mollie/Molly Turner. Mary L. was the daughter of William A. Fields and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Fields.
Vanessa’s paternal grandmother was Iris Agnes Carl/Carll (the daughter of Frank S. Carl/Carll and Imogene Jackson). Iris was born in New York. Frank was the son of David Carll and Mary Louisa Appleford, who was white, and whose own father was English. Imogene was the daughter of Henry Titus Jackson and Emiline/Emmaline G. Russell.
Vanessa’s maternal grandfather was Edward James Tinch (the son of John Wilbur Tinch and Helen Elizabeth Fitzgerald). Edward was born in New Jersey. John was the son of John Tinch. Helen was the daughter of William Fitzgerald and Margaret.
Vanessa’s maternal grandmother was Doris Catherine Griffen/Griffin (the daughter of Moses George Wilson and Elvira Viola Johnson). Doris was born in New York. Moses George was the son of George Wilson and Frances Duson. Elvira was the daughter of Waldo/Walter Johnson and Fannie/Fanny Cavel/Calvin.
Regarding her DNA test, Vanessa has said:
Now, I can’t wait to go to Ghana and Cameroon and Togo and Senegal — it’s a great opportunity to see why the customs resonate with you. I love to travel and I love to explore, and I have to admit that I was always jealous of people who knew their cultural background. Both my family and myself came out with light eyes, so obviously there is a recessive gene here. Not knowing what that was just made me very curious.
Sources: Genealogy of Vanessa L. Williams – http://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Vanessa’s father (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.findagrave.com
Vanessa’s paternal grandmother, Iris Agnes Carl/Carll, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
This needs to be updated! On who do you think you are? they go through her ancestral tree. Her great grandfather on her dad’s side was mixed. Her great great grandfather was mulatto with a white wife. Vanessa looks mixed with white because she is.
no native american
not white
One comparison to a full Africa black and no sane person can deny that she looks way more Caucasian than black.
And what is all this 1st “African American” Miss America? Africa isn’t an ethnicity or race, it’s a continent that has several ethnicities ranging from black to the Anglo whites of South Africa.
“African American” is an offensive term in my opinion for 4 reasons. One; it effaces all the various non-black peoples of Africa. Two; it denies any non-black heritage said “African American” might have. Three; it denies black Americans from being simply ‘American’. And four; (because it’s used racially) it connects BLACK Africa to America in an international sense that forever financially ties us to the 3rd World drain.
In conclusion. Africa is not our problem, and it’s not a race, therefore the “African American” term is a ploy created so that Americans will feel obligated to give money to black Africa – the same black Africans carrying out a genocide against South African farmers.
Vanessa Williams is NOT an African American, she is a beautiful AMERICAN with a great voice and talent. She should never have felt it was necessary to relate herself to the media propagated degenerate “African American culture”, or any other negative connotation. It’s the media symbiotic race-term connotation “African American” that incited the hatred following her Miss America win.
To Jeff
Caucasian doesn’t mean your white.Now because she looks a certain way to you,doesn’t mean that’s what’s predominant in her.You can be as little as 30% and look like her(Tom Joyner DNA test proves that).Now black people here are of African descent.Now your words(Africa isn’t an ethnicity or race, it’s a continent that has several ethnicities ranging from black to the Anglo whites of South Africa.Well this is no different than saying your french or german,yet people use it as their ethnicity(and those people have colors ranging from black to the Anglo whites).Now are you a black person here?
Your words(“African American” is an offensive term in my opinion for 4 reasons. One; it effaces all the various non-black peoples of Africa. Two; it denies any non-black heritage said “African American” might have. Three; it denies black Americans from being simply ‘American’. And four; (because it’s used racially) it connects BLACK Africa to America in an international sense that forever financially ties us to the 3rd World drain)
Well in my opinion your reasons are base on complete nonsense.
Now I was asking if were you a black person here,because if your not,I don’t see what this has to do with you.However reading the rest of your statement shows your white. You mention genocide against South African farmers.Well what about all the things that were done against the black there,by white South Africans or the genocide against black people in namibia,done by the germans when they ran the place.I’m not defending what’s going on,I’m just saying.
Now Vanessa Williams is African American,and that’s how she IDs herself,so maybe you might want to let this go
VANESSA WILLIAMS IS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN
WHO WON MISS AMERICAN
MEANING FIRST BLACK AMERICAN WHO WON MISS AMERICAN
DONT GET IT TWISTED
I have no doubt that her heritage is most likely mainly black, however she has some European physical traits which cannot be denied. Plus I just watched her on “Who do you think you are” where all doubt has been removed … she IS of mixed heritage.
@ajdube
What traits,I’m not saying she doesn’t a mixture.I just want to what euro traits are
SHE NOT CONSIDERED MIXTURE
SHE JUST CONSIDERED BLACK
AND THE BLUE EYES ARE HER BLUE EYES
NOT YOUR
AND HER KIDS ALL BLACK
PERIOD
Vanessa Williams identifies as BLACK again here.
http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/video/close-up-vanessa-williams/1278354
I know some of ya’ll didn’t want your Wilhelmina Slater (or Renee – DH) to be black, but oh well. Re-adjust your prototype of what black is.
I Don’t Think People Are Saying That She Is Not Black! There Just Saying That Her Phenotypes Are Not Just From Black People Alone.
Very few American blacks have ‘phenotypes’ from blacks alone. Even if your blood line was only with other pure Africans it says nothing for each time your family married another American black. There are tests to trace DNA back and determine race compositions based on traits–I can almost guarantee that no matter how “racially pure” a black person born and descended through slavery thinks they are–chances are very high they have some European blood–why? because when your great grandaddy married that “pretty little chocolate girl–she had a gggd who was white or when you decided to marry that gorgeous man with the high cheekbones–he had an ancestor who was Indian or indian and white –and maybe his son’s wife had some European blood–it is like AIDS this mixing increases exponentially which is why among whites, chances are slim to none if they have been here for over 2 generations that many are ethnically pure–they will have English mixed with scottish or italian, or welsh etc–it was not that long ago that a mixing of ethnicity was seen as a contamination equivalent to mixing with blacks–why? Because people were of the mind to be tribally or ethnically pure and wanted to have only their ethnic blood line–now whites mix with other whites and now whites mix with other races.
This is not all without purpose-the white race’s gene pool is stagnant because they are not a creator race, they are a mutation–to remain viable, they must continually infuse their gene pool. /the latest spate of sterility and loss of libido indicates they need new blood–nothing is more ‘new’ than the supreme difference of African or black blood–and where that is too late–they adopt pure African children hoping to “raise them to be white’ sometimes that works–but sometimes (like in Obama’s case) it backfires.
Never Mind Janice, I Understand What You Are Tryna Say! Sorry!
she has to be mixed, I’m pretty sure there’s some white on her. She has blue eyes! (unless they’re contacts?) and doesn’t look full african american AT ALL.
It’s because you’re pinning the black stereotype on her.
To Dan
Yes Dan black people do come with blue eye,and guess what,they don’t have to have white blood.Now it is really rare,but it does happen.However Mrs.Williams does have white heritage,which is most likely where she gets hers
One other thing,what h*ll does a full AA supposed to look like.Please tell me,because I wanna know since your the expert on us