Black-ish is the new Modern Family; it’s no coincidence that the two shows play back-to-back. Black-ish, the ABC sitcom created by Kenya Barris, attempts to raise awareness of the micro-aggressive remarks that many black families encounter.
Since the black family central to the show, the Johnsons, is privileged, issues connecting race and class are discussed. Anthony Anderson, who plays a character named Dre, is a successful advertising executive and is married to a biracial doctor, conveniently named Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross). They live in an upscale suburban neighborhood with their two sons, two daughters, and Dre’s father (Laurence Fishburne.)
Credit: Black-ish Facebook
I must say that I was disappointed by the pilot episode, which was was more educational than comedic. Barris might have touched on too many stereotypes in just 20 minutes. If I were Barris, I would have tackled one major stereotype per episode.
To start off, Dre was made to be the head of the “Urban Division” at his company. The issue the show was getting at there dealt with the fact that ‘urban’ is a code word that white people use to mean black. Dre didn’t enjoy his promotion as much as he’d hoped because of the political incorrectness of his title. Further upsetting him, his son wanted to play field hockey instead of basketball; with the NBA having such a large number of black players, this perpetuated the stereotype that all black people naturally want to play basketball. Dre forces his son to wear traditional African dress, a dashiki, and participate in an African ceremony because he doesn’t think that his 14-year-old son is ‘black’ enough.
Immediately, we see that Dre wants to unite the family as centered on black culture, while his younger children don’t understand why they need to play a specific sport or listen to a certain type of music to be counted as black. Other questions arise, such as what aspects of culture unites black people or even if black people need to be united through culture. The viewers are able to think about these topics of race alongside the protagonist, Dre.
At this stage of the plot in the sitcom, Dre’s character is staunch in his beliefs about race, and he is also a very firm character. It’s tough to get him to smile or to stop seeing everything as black or white, literally and figuratively. I am anxiously awaiting the point when Dre becomes a more dynamic character and undergoes a significant shift of perspective.
To be honest, if I did not have to review the show, I would not have watched the second episode, but I surprisingly enjoyed it more than the pilot episode. The second episode focuses on Dre having the sex talk with his son, who becomes too enthusiastic and wants to talk about sex all the time. There were no explicit references to any racial stereotypes in this episode; rather, it chronicles an experience that every parent worries about: giving ‘the talk,’ showing how black families are no different in that respect at least. The educational aspect of this show is what makes it original and separates it from other sitcoms with a predominantly black cast; thus, without the mention and explanation of a stereotype, this episode mimicked the Bernie Mac Show.
I hoped that Barris would strike a perfect balance between raising awareness of racial issues while maintaining a humorous edge, but so far it looks as if viewers get one or the other. Still, Black-ish is groundbreaking because, as the title suggests, there is no one way to ‘be black’ and what being black means is evolving and expanding. Give it a try on Wednesdays at 9:30 on ABC. It’s good-ish.
Watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNqqjDv6_dU