‘Black-ish’ Star Yara Shahidi, An Unofficial Ambassador For Gen Z : Code Switch : NPR

Yara Shahidi has to navigate complex racial issues both inside and outside the world of Black-ish.

Rich Fury/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Rich Fury/Getty Images

Yara Shahidi has to navigate complex racial issues both inside and outside the world of Black-ish.

Rich Fury/Getty Images

In some ways, Yara Shahidi is a lot like Zoey Johnson, the character she plays on ABC’s comedy Black-ish. Shahidi, like Johnson, is a 17 year old high school student with several younger siblings, so the two have hit some of the same social and familial milestones at the same time.