Yara is an American actress, producer and activist. She was born in Minnesota, USA. Her mother is of African American and Choctaw heritage, and her father is Iranian. Her parents were strong mentors and reading role models, encouraging her to look at fairy tales from different cultures, political essays and dystopian fiction. It was a great way to develop a critical thinking and creative mindset. Yara says that she was fortunate, as a child, to have had a diverse range of literature to develop her ideas about the world. It was also an important foundation for Yara as she played the role of Zoey in the ABC sitcom Black-ish – a show about race and class in America.

Despite her relatively young age, she has already caught the attention of many. She was given the opportunity to interview Hilary Clinton in 2017. Former first lady Michelle Obama noticed her achievements and wrote a letter of recommendation to Harvard University on her behalf. Yara graduated in 2022, earning a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies.

In 2021, Yara joined the Stand With Women, Dior campaign and continues to balance her acting and modelling career with her beliefs in social justice and diversity in Hollywood. Yara says she is proud to be a voice of a generation that offers ideas about inclusivity, difference and diversity. Her open-mindedness means she enjoys difference and is open to different people and ideas.