Baby Yams

Tatyana Ali is an acclaimed actress and singer with a career spanning 40 years. She has appeared in television, film, and theatrical projects throughout her life, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway production of “Fences,” the iconic comedy series "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and a growing collection of holiday films for Lifetime TV. She can currently be seen in a recurring role on ABC’s award-winning hit comedy series, “Abbott Elementary.” 

She holds a gold record for her debut album “Kiss the Sky,” which included the platinum-selling single "Daydreamin'" & "Boy You Knock Me Out”. She received a Grammy Award for "Best Musical Album for Children” for the film “Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland”. 

Ali is the author of Aszi and the Octopus, a children’s book published last fall with Scholastic.

A 5-time NAACP Image Award winner and Harvard graduate, Ali is the founder and designer of Baby Yams™, a quilted goods company that donates a portion of its proceeds to fund grants and scholarships for Black and Indigenous birth workers. After a traumatic hospital birth experience with her first child, Ali became a Black maternal health advocate. For the last 7 years, she has testified before Congress, written op-eds, and spoken extensively across the country. Frustrated by the focus on trauma rather than solutions, Ali founded Baby Yams. Her quilts are a powerful storytelling vehicle. They are modeled on the quilt she made for her youngest child, who came into the world with the help of a traditional Black midwife. 

Made in small batches in Los Angeles, Baby Yams have been featured by Essence, AfroTech, Forbes, The Tamron Hall Show, People Magazine, and Black Enterprise.

Tatyana resides in California with her husband and two sons.