Profile Text
Morales in 2011, photo by Prphotos.com
Birth Name: Natalie Leticia Morales
Place of Birth: Taichung, Taiwan
Date of Birth: June 6, 1972
Ethnicity: * father – Puerto Rican * mother – Brazilian
Natalie Morales is an American journalist.
She was born in Taichung, Taiwan. Her mother, Penelope Veloso, was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her father, Mario Morales Ramírez, was Puerto Rican, and served in the U.S. military. She grew up in Panama, Brazil, Spain, and the U.S. A picture of young Natalie with her parents can be seen here . Her mother is pictured here .
She speaks fluent English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Natalie is married to Joseph Rhodes, with whom she has two children.
Natalie’s paternal grandmother was named Monserrate Ramírez Asencio (the daughter of Nicanor Ramírez). Monserrate was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Nicanor was raised working on a sugar farm. His mother, Ramona Pérez Zapata, died of the Spanish flu. Nicanor’s grandfather, José Nicanor Ramírez y Ramírez, was a slaveowner.
Natalie’s maternal grandfather was named Elios Veloso.
Natalie’s maternal grandmother was Daria Lopes (the daughter of Antonio Baptista Lopes and Maria Oliveira de Melo). Maria was the daughter of Carlos Bernardes de Melo and Antónia Teodora de Oliveira. Antónia’s father, Domingos da Silva Oliveira, was a farmer, who was a slaveowner.
A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2025) stated that Natalie’s genetic ancestry consists of:
*83% European ——–*41% Portugal ——–*17% Spain ——–*9% France ——–*5% Scotland ——–*2% Germanic Europe ——–*2% Basque ——–*2% Wales ——–*2% Ireland ——–*2% Jewish ——–*1% Eastern Europe & Russia *12% Indigenous American *5% African ——–*2% Northern Africa ——–*1% Senegal ——–*1% Ivory Coast & Ghana ——–*1% Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples
*83% European ——–*41% Portugal ——–*17% Spain ——–*9% France ——–*5% Scotland ——–*2% Germanic Europe ——–*2% Basque ——–*2% Wales ——–*2% Ireland ——–*2% Jewish ——–*1% Eastern Europe & Russia *12% Indigenous American *5% African ——–*2% Northern Africa ——–*1% Senegal ——–*1% Ivory Coast & Ghana ——–*1% Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples
Sources: https://web.archive.org http://www.today.com