Birth Name: Valerie June Bowman
Place of Birth: Shiraz, Iran
Date of Birth: November 14, 1956
Ethnicity: African American, smaller amounts of Creole (French and African), Scottish, and Native American
Valerie Jarrett is an American civic leader and political advisor. She was born in Shiraz, Iran, to American parents, James E. Bowman (James Edward Bowman), a physician, and Barbara (Taylor) Bowman, an early childhood education expert/advocate, author, and professor.
Valerie’s parents were/are both black. In the program Finding Your Roots, with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. it was found, through both DNA testing and genealogical research, that she also has smaller amounts of Creole (French and African), Scottish, and Native American heritage.
Valerie had once stated that one of her great-grandfathers was Jewish. No Jewish ancestry has evidently been documented for Valerie Jarrett, and none of her great-grandfathers were Jewish (at least in the traditional sense).
Valerie’s paternal grandparents were James Edward Bowman (the son of William Henry Bowman and Mary E.) and Dorothy Peterson (the daughter of George Lee Peterson and Mildred Waddy).
Valerie’s maternal grandparents were Robert Rochon Taylor (the son of Robert Robinson Taylor and Beatrice Rochon) and Laura Dorothy Vaughn Jennings (the daughter of Neros Jennings and Laura Smith).
Sources: Genealogies of Valerie Jarrett – http://www.geni.com
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
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