Yara Shahidi

Yara Sayeh Shahidi (born February 10, 2000) is an American actress, model, and activist.

She is known for her starring role as the oldest daughter Zoey Johnson on the sitcom Black-ish (2014–present) and its spin-off series Grown-ish (2018–present).

 Early life and education 
Yara Sayeh Shahidi was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Keri Salter and Afshin Shahidi. Her mother, Keri Salter, is of mixed African American and Native Choctaw heritage, and her father, Afshin, is Iranian. The family moved to California for her father Afshin's work when Yara was 4 years old. She is the older sister of child actor and model Sayeed Shahidi and they have a younger brother, Ehsan. Rapper Nas is their cousin. Keri Shahidi states the name Yara means in Persian "Someone who is close to your heart", the name Sayeed means "Blessing", and Ehsan means "To act as though God is watching".

Shahidi graduated in 2017 from Dwight Global Online School. Starting in 2018, Shahidi began college at Harvard University with a plan to major in Interdisciplinary Sociology and African American Studies.

References

Category:2000 births
Category:Living people
Category:American movie actors
Category:American television actors
Category:American voice actors
Category:American activists
Category:Models from Minneapolis
Category:American child actors
Category:Actors from Minneapolis
Category:African-American actors
Category:Harvard University alumni