24 Famous Women Of Proud African And Asian Heritage
The #StopAsianHate movement has exposed how those with shared Black and Asian ancestry are often subjected to discrimination from both sides
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 20: Actress Dawn-Lyen Gardner arrives at REGARD Magazine’s 10 Year Anniversary Celebrating Women in Film and Television at Sofitel Los Angeles At Beverly Hills on February 20, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
In recent weeks, the #StopAsianHate movement has gained momentum as everyday civilians and celebrities alike speak out against attacks aimed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
As a result of false information spread by our former commander-in-chief and those of a similar ilk during the pandemic, there has been an uptick in hate crimes aimed at members of these communities. And while plenty are of the mindset that discrimination toward any human being requires action, others don’t quite realize just how close to home this issue hits for members of our community as well.
We recently spoke to rapper Saweetie who shared her plans to help members of the African-American and Asian-American communities with her newly created Icy Baby Foundation. But the Bay area beauty is just one of many famous women with shared Asian and African ancestry who’s also subjected to discrimination from both sides. Scroll down to discover others you may not have known about.
01
Saweetie
Rapper Saweetie’s mother is of Filipina-Chinese descent while her father is African American.
02
Kelis
Singer Kelis’s mom is Chinese-Puerto Rican and her father is African American.
03
Dawn-Lyen Gardner
Queen Sugar star Dawn-Lyen Gardner has a Black father and a Chinese mother.
04
Robinne Lee
Actress Robinne Lee’s Jamaican parents are of Chinese, British and African descent.
05
Amerie
Singer Amerie’s mother is South Korean and her dad is African American
06
Sharon Leal
Actress Sharon Leal’s mom is Filipina and her father is African American.
07
Karrueche
Claws star Karrueche Tran was born to a Vietnamese mother and a Jamaican-American father.
08
Denyce Lawton
Actress Denyce Lawton was born in her mother’s native home of Seoul, South Korea. Her father is African-American.
09
Chanel Iman
Model Chanel Iman’s mother is Korean and her father is African American.
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
10
Jhene Aiko
Jhene Aiko’s mother is of Dominican and Japanese descent while her father is of Native American, African American and German-Jewish descent.
11
Ayesha Curry
Ayesha Curry’s mother is of Afro-Jamaican and Chinese-Jamaican descent while her father has African American and Polish heritage.
12
Naomi Osaka
Tennis star Naomi Osaka’s mother is from Japan and her father is from Haiti.
13
Cassie
Cassie’s mom is of African-American, Mexican, and West Indian descent while her father is Filipino.
14
Kimora Lee Simmons
Fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons was born to a Korean-Japanese mother and an African-American father.
15
Rae Dawn Chong
Actress Rae Dawn Chong’s famous father Tommy Chong is of Chinese and Scottish-Irish descent while her mother is Black Canadian.
16
Naomi Campbell
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has Afro-Jamaican and Chinese-Jamaican heritage.
Venturelli/WireImage
17
Foxy Brown
Rapper Foxy Brown has Afro-Trinidadian, Indo-Trinidadian, and Chinese-Trinidadian heritage.
18
H.E.R.
ali-bred soul singer H.E.R. was born to a Filipina mother and an African American father.
19
Merle Dandridge
Greenleaf star Merle Dandridge was born in Okinawa, Japan, to a Korean mother and African-American father.
20
Joyce Wrice
Los Angeles Indie artist Joyce Wrice was born to a Japanese mother and African-American father.
21
Apryl Jones
Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood star Apryl Jones’ mother is of Taiwanese, Chinese and Mongolian descent, while her father is African-American with Native American ancestry.
22
Angela Yee
Radio personality Angela Yee’s father is Chinese while her mother is Afro-Montserratian.
23
Lisa Wu
Former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Lisa Wu’s father is a first-generation Chinese-American. Her mother was of Afro-Caribbean descent.
24
La’Shontae Heckard
Actress La’Shontae Heckard was born in her mother’s native country Seoul, Korea. Her father is African American.
