Mariah Carey’s ethnicity is mixed; she describes herself as African American because her grandparents were Afro-Venezuelans from the Venezuelan border state of Zulia (Colombia, Aruba, and Curacao), who immigrated to the US around a century ago.
However, Mariah is technically Hispanic, but because she adheres to the one-drop rule of Africanness used in the USA, she is identified as an African American due to the blackness of her ancestors.
What Do Other Sources Claim Regarding Her Ethnicity?
Other sources claim that her grandparents were Cubans because of some documents; perhaps Mariah’s grandfather was trying to conceal his family’s identity or was a Cuban of Venezuelan ancestry, or directly Cuba was the first stop from Venezuela to the United States because they arrived in the Florida Keys.
It was logical to assume that they would identify as black Africans because her grandparents immigrated during the time when the one-drop rule was observed in the USA.
In other words, they appeared to be African Americans because they were Afro-descendants and lived in an African American neighborhood. Still, they were actually Venezuelans, who are a mix of European, primarily Spanish, and African.
Mariah Official Ethnicity
Although officially she is “Half Black and Half White” because her mother is Irish American, this would be wildly misleading given that she is of Venezuelan descent.
If we were to infer her genetic makeup from her background, we would estimate she is 55% to 70% European (White), 35% Black or slightly darker, and 10% Native American or Amerindian, with as little as 3% or as much as 16% Amerindian from South America.
She is, therefore, multiracial, triracial, or biracial, but she prefers the color black, making her an African American.
This is likely because of the racial tensions that existed during the 1950s to 1970s when her parents first met and got married; her mother was even disowned by her parents for marrying a “Black Man.”Â
When her grandfather arrived in New York, his real name was Francisco Roberto Nez (Spanish Surname), but he changed it to Carey (Robert Carey) to sound more English.
Alternatively, Mariah’s grandfather’s mother was Guyanese (Guyana is a British Colony/Country next to Venezuela), and he simply shifted his parents’ surname.
