Yara Shahidi is speaking out about diversity in Hollywood. The young star recently delved into the stereotypes that cause minorities to suffer during her acceptance speech at the Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service.
Yara was given the Daily Point of Light Award and used the platform to speak her truths. “As you watch ‘Black-ish,’ you are witnessing the constant conversation and work we put into the blossoming and development of my character Zoey. She is my activism through art,” the actress explained. “She is an angsty, rebellious teen, entrepreneurial at heart, academically astute, and the thread that ties her family together. It is through my character and characters like her that the barriers that racism, ageism, sexism, and other -isms can be broken down.”
Yara went on to talk about her mixed race that makes her a threat to some. “Internet trolls have come to social media to blame my relatives for terrorism upon learning that I’m Iranian.” Yara went on to tell attendees, “Oftentimes these narratives are supported by fictional characters from hundreds of shows that grace your screens at any moment of the day.”
Check out what else the ‘Black-ish’ star had to say below!
Photo: Getty Images
