 His paternal grandmother, a Jamaican, Evangeline Rondon Paterson was secretary to Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey.His paternal grandfather was Leonard James Paterson, a native of Carriacou who arrived in the United States aboard the S.S. "Vestris" on May 16, 1917.It was reported by The Genetic Genealogist in March 2008 that Paterson had recently undergone genetic genealogy testing.