2019-12-01_Harper__x27_s_Bazaar_Australia_UserUpload.Net

ADRIENNE

RAQUEL.

STYLED

BY

CASSIE

ANDERSON.

BEAUTY

EDITOR:

JESSICA

MATLIN.

HAIR

BY

NAI’VASHA;

MAKEUP BY EMILY CHENG; MANICURE BY GRACIE J FOR THE EDITORIAL NAIL. SEE BUYLINES FOR STOCKISTS

ARASHAHIDIshimmers.Herfingernailsare
painteda paleiridescencethatcatchesthelight
of thefixturesoverheadas shegesticulatesexuber-
antlywhileexplainingtheimportanceof“inten-
tional intersectionality”. But it goes beyond
makeup—she seemstoglow fromtheinside.
We’reinNewYork’sCrosbyBarona rainyafter-
-year-oldactorhasjustcomefroma luncheonat
ntedanawardto TarajiP. Henson.
Yaraenteredtheculturallexiconat14,playingZoeyJohnson
ontheUSsitcomBlack-ish, butshecementedherpositionthere
offscreenbyspeakingoutonissuesofsocialjustice.Thefirstword
usedtodescribeheris asoften‘activist’as‘actor’,andnolessan
eminencethanOprahWinfreyhassaidshehopessheis stillalive
whenYarabecomesUSpresident,because“thatis goingto happen
if shewantsit to happen”.(Forherpart, Yarasaysshe would
prefertoremain“policyadjacent”.) Forher18th birthdayshe
hosteda votingparty,witha registrationbooth,andlauncheda
nationalinitiativecalledEighteenx 18togalvaniseyoungpeople
tovote,a projectshe continues tofocuson. “Withmidterms
coming up it was, of course, our priority,” shesays.“But now it’s

about impressing upon people that

there’snosuchthingas anoffyear.”

That’sastrueforYaraherselfasit is

foranyoneelse.Inadditiontostarring

inherownspin-offseries,Grown-ish,

which follows Zoey as she navigates

university life, Yara is a student at

Harvard(MichelleObamawrotehera

recommendationletter),withplansto

study anthropology, history and

economics.Herfirststarringfilmrole,

anadaptationoftheYAnovelTheSun

Is Alsoa Star, is outnow,andwithher

family she has started a production

company,SeventhSun.

Yara’s engagement with her 4.1

millionInstagramand416,000Twitter

followersis a roadmapforhowtobea

multifaceted member of Generation

Z,one whopushes back against the

ideathatyoumustbeeitherjoyfuland

silly or socially engaged. “I can say,

‘Myfriendslookgreattoday,let’stake

a picture,’and be equally concerned

with issues globally,” she says. Her

Instagram pendulum swings from a

messageofsolidaritywiththevictims

oftheChristchurchmosqueshootings

toa videoofherselfdancingtoLizzo

whileonholidayinAnguilla.“There’s

powerinjustdisplayingjoy,”Yarasays.

Activistwithoutborders

She credits her civic engagement to

growing up “in a humanitarian

family”. Born in Minneapolis as the

daughterofanIranianfather,Afshin,

and an African-American mother,

Keri,Yarasaysherpassion forhistory comesfromher paternal

grandfather,andherunderstandingofthepowerofactivismfrom

hermaternalgrandfather,whospenttimewiththeBlackPanthers.

“Becauseofmyfamily’sbackground,I understandhowintercon-

nectedculturesare,”shesays.“Traditionsmaybedifferent,butin

termsofsharedvaluesthey’retranscontinental.”Shespeakswith

an almost poetic cadence and seems not to breathe between

sentences,yetsomehowsheis neverflustered,issuinga rapid-fire

eloquence instead. “My love of history, or even being socially

engaged, stems from having, firsthand, people to care about

aroundtheglobeandata youngageexpandingmycommunity

beyondthesefakebordersweputoneachother,”shesays.

The Shahidis moved from Minneapolis to a suburb of Los

AngeleswhenYarawasfour.Bothofheryoungerbrothersarealso

actors,andtheirfatheris a cinematographerand photographer

whofora timeworkedas Prince’spersonalphotographer.It wasn’t

untilYarawasaskedtoauditionforEddieMurphy’sImagineThat

a thirdtime(thefirsttwotimesshesaid“nothankyou”)thatshe

madetheleaptoindependentchildactor.Inthemeantimeshe

hadskippedYear 1 becauseshewas alreadyreadingand doing

maths at a more advanced level. (The school wanted her to skip to

Hollywood’s

mostpromising

youngtalent,

YaraShahidi,

isrefreshingly

candidwhenit

comestoher

activism.

By Chloe Malle

STREAMING

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a rising

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172 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU December 2019