Ask just about anyone: America is in love with Zendaya. Difficult. Since his first appearance as Rocky Blue on the popular Disney Channel show shake it Where For the role of Rue, she shared the small screen with CeCe Jones (Bella Thorne). Enthusiasm to Dune The Emmy-winning star has made an indelible name in her films. But before she became the megastar she is today, she was just a girl growing up in Oakland, CA, trying to make a name for herself.
While Zendaya is no stranger to being in the spotlight, she tends to keep her personal life private, including family matters. Although Zendaya and her parents seem to have a close relationship, little is known about her mother and father.
While Zendaya has a tight relationship with her parents, both they and her half-siblings tend to stay out of the public eye. Here's everything we know about Zendaya's mom and dad, Claire Stoermer and Kazembe Ajamu Coleman (and read on for the actress' full name).
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Stoermer is a former teacher
In addition to being Zendaya's mother, Stoermer has worked various jobs over the years. Her most prominent role was teaching at Fruitvale Elementary School in Oakland, where Zendaya attended for nearly 20 years.
“Growing up, I saw my mother teaching in inner-city schools in the heart of Oakland, CA, which were always underfunded,” Zendaya said in a 2016 interview. Teen Vogue. “My mother went even further and constantly worked to open her students' eyes to an education that would take them far beyond their current circumstances. She would introduce them to the arts, guide them through the language of Shakespeare, and show them the wonders of nature outside of city life, of everything they would not otherwise experience.”
Enthusiasm The actor continued: “Watching her was fascinating; she instilled in me a real appreciation and commitment to the importance of education. If I wasn't in the entertainment industry, I would be a teacher in a heartbeat; that's guaranteed!”
Zendaya has openly talked about how hard her mother worked to help her acting career early on. In addition to teaching, Stoermer served as house manager at the California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, CA. On Tina Knowles-Lawson's show Conversations with Mama TinaStoermer talked about the difficulties he faced while working extra jobs just to make Zendaya's dreams come true. While living paycheck to paycheck is undoubtedly difficult for the entire family, Zendaya often says that the time she spends in this theatrical environment is what fuels her passion for acting.
Zendaya's Mom Has Her Own Jewelry Line
After retiring from teaching, Stoermer started her own jewelry business, Kizzmet Jewelry, a custom jewelry brand that features one-of-a-kind crystals, gemstones, and natural stones in each piece. In true good girl fashion, Zendaya often praises her mother's accomplishments and promotes her jewelry business on her social media channels.
So my mom is an amazing jewelry designer/maker and she also slays my style😍@clairemaree64 @KizzmetJewelry @dayabyzendaya #hand wrapped crystal choker pic.twitter.com/zINrAU0woV
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) 16 November 2016
His Family is Big on Culture
Just look at Zendaya's full name (Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman) and you can see that her family is all about supporting their mixed ethnicity. In a PSA for nonprofit organization Welcome.US, Zendaya sat down with her family to talk about their past.
“I have an African name. I have a middle name, so [my mom’s] Our middle name is French, but we spelled it African. “So I am literally me with a name,” he says. “And then you have Stoermer and then you have Coleman. There is literally a timeline for me in history.
He adds: “I am African, but also German. “I am very proud of this.”
Coleman Is Also a Former Teacher
If you haven't already noticed Zendaya's many charitable acts, the service runs in the family. His father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, was also a teacher. As Zendaya became serious about her acting career, her father gave up his job in education to help her full-time.
“I actually said, 'I want to do this,' and my dad quit his teaching job to make it happen. My mom stayed in Oakland because she had two jobs: teaching and working at the California Shakespeare Theater at night. Those two jobs took over all of our car rides during the year I was auditioning.” it paid for itself,” he said in a 2017 interview. Fascination.
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Zendaya's Dad Is Also Her Manager
“Luckily they said, 'You know what? We believe in you.' “I had parents who said, 'I got my first job at the Disney Channel when I was 13, and it was just me and my dad in an apartment in downtown Los Angeles,' Zendaya said. he said. “It was so hard because I was dealing with all the big girl moments. I remember I was on my period and she didn't know what to do. It was a weird transition.”
As Zendaya's path to stardom became more apparent with each job she took, her father became her full-time manager. Although Zendaya is often seen attending events with her boyfriend Tom Holland (aka Spider-Man), her father is never left behind. His protectiveness and devotion towards his daughter is evident when they are seen outside.
According to an interview with People in 2016 SelfThe Black Women at Hollywood Luncheon's father goes so far as to diss her boyfriends (watch out, Spidey).
“My father will examine every man who looks at me,” she said. “If I decide to have Dad around to make sure Dad examines them and they're okay, they better check with Dad first! Do you know what I'm saying?”
Coleman Has Children From His Previous Marriage
Zendaya is the only child of the Coleman and Stoermer couple. If you've seen Zendaya in interviews, trust us, you can definitely tell that she exudes only-kid energy with her joie de vivre and spunky personality. But Zendaya actually has five half-siblings from her father's previous marriage: three older sisters named Katianna, Annabella, and Kaylee, and two older brothers named Austin and Julien.
Even though there is an age difference between Zendaya and her siblings, the group seems to have a pretty close relationship. Zendaya and her older sister have an especially close bond.
“I realize the impact my sister has had on me and how she's made me a better person,” Zendaya said in a 2015 interview. TIME. “Having such a big and well-established family, as I got older I realized how important that was.”
Coleman is a grandfather
Zendaya has talked many times about how wonderful it is to be an aunt. Daddy's other children have given him a lot of grandchildren to raise, and Aunt Zendaya is doing her best to process it all.
Although he was close with all his nieces and nephews, he spoke openly about how tight he was with his sister's daughter in particular.
“I think the person closest to me is my 20-year-old niece. She lives in Los Angeles with my sister, who lives here with her two daughters and her husband,” Zendaya said in an interview with Complex. “So I run away to their house all day long. I call her any time about anything, we go out to dinner for random things. We just chill.