Rashād was born Phylicia Ayers-Allen in Harris County, Texas, to Andrew Arthur Allen, a full-blooded Cherokee, and Vivian Ayersan, an African-American. Arthur was a dentist and Vivian was a Pulitzer-prize nominated artist, poet, playwright, and publi

Rashād was born Phylicia Ayers-Allen in Harris County, Texas, to Andrew Arthur Allen, a full-blooded Cherokee, and Vivian Ayersan, an African-American. Arthur was a dentist and Vivian was a Pulitzer-prize nominated artist, poet, playwright, and publisher. Rashād's siblings are jazz-musician brother Tex (Andrew Arthur Allen Jr, born 1945), sister Debbie Allen (1950), and brother Hugh Allen (real estate banker in North Carolina). Debbie Allen is an actress, choreographer, and director. While Rashād was growing up, her family moved to Mexico to escape U.S. racism; as a result, Rashād speaks both English and Spanish fluently.

She graduated from Howard University, where she later taught drama, and is a member of the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. Rashād first became notable on the stage with a string of Broadway credits, including Deena Jones in Dreamgirls (she was Sheryl Lee Ralph's understudy until she left the show in 1982 after Rashad was passed over as Ralph's full-time repl