Zendaya Embraces Her Family History In New Video

Zendaya Coleman is going back to her roots. The Disney alum recognized June's Immigrant Heritage Month by partnering with Welcome.us and sharing the story of her family history in a video that was released on June 9. In the video, Zendaya talks about her family history in Africa and Germany and having pride in her mixed heritage. And it is a very sweet, moving thing to see.

With her parents, mom Claire Stoermer and dad Kazembe Ajamu (who reclaimed his African name after previously being known as Samuel Coleman), by her side, the Shake It Up star talks about getting a "mixture of all the worlds." The family looks over old photos together and her parents reflect on their respective histories and life journeys. And Zendaya proudly embraces all aspects of her roots. Musing on her full name, the 18-year-old singer-actress says,

I have my African first name, I have a middle name that is [my mom's] middle name, which is French, but we did it African spelling, so it's literally me in a name. And then you have Stoermer, and then you have Coleman. I literally have, like, a timeline in history in my name.

While the video is a moving homage to Zendaya's family and their awesome and unique history, it also sends a message to the audience to be proud of their own roots, no matter where they come from.

After all, Zendaya pays equal attention to both sides of her family tree in the video, and sums this up beautifully by explaining the meaning behind her full name. She proves that every piece of one's family history comes together with the other pieces to make someone a unique individual. As can be seen by her beautiful family, this is something to be proud of.

Of course, this is not the first time Zendaya has paid homage to her awesome heritage. As you might remember, she totally schooled Hollywood on the history of dreadlocks and shed light on hair-shaming of the African American community when she was criticized for wearing locs at an awards show. While it is not surprising that Zendaya would want to take part in Immigrant Heritage Month, it does not make it any less awesome. And as she told Us Weekly, it seems like she wants everyone else to be a part of the fun:

I just want young people to embrace where they come from, be proud of it and share their family's history. This country was built on beautiful stories of immigrant heritage ... I'm so thankful to have done this with Welcome.us and my family!

Check out the moving video below. Just try not to say "Aww!"