YARA SHAHIDI SITS DOWN WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE SINGAPORE TO TALK ABOUT HER AMBI

What was the catalyst for your interest in politics and activism?

I’ve always said that my family is a group of humanitarians, which they are. I’ve always been introduced to books starting at a young age. I was reading “The Odyssey” and then later, I was reading James Baldwin and other books about religion, culture and being multiracial. Culture has always fascinated me because I come from two very seemingly distinct cultures and through my growing up, I’ve realized how similar they are. So, “Black-ish” not only provided me with an opportunity to speak about relevant and socio-political topics on the show, it also allowed me to continue the conversation outside of the show. It was really when I started “Black- ish” that people started viewing me as “qualified” and asking me, as a 14-year-old then, my opinion on what we thought “Black-ish” was covering. That was when I personally realized that along with the work that my family and I were doing, in terms of donating and always trying to be socially aware, that the platform was in tune for me to do the same on a larger scale.

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