As a black creator who chose an entirely black main cast, “black-ish” can be seen as a practice of expression. Black-ish is not the first show that depicts an all black cast. In fact, there were a wide variety of popular shows in the 90s, like the aforementioned Cosby Show, The Fresh Prince of Bellaire, Living Single, A Different World, and many others. Therefore, black-ish cannot be classified as a practice of delegates, since it was not the first series to have black producers representing black people.
However, black-ish does go beyond the bounds of delegation and reaches into expression with its continuation to challenge stereotypes around blackness and introducing new meaning around what blackness is in an extremely contemporary setting. Moreover, even within the family, there is a multiplicity of ways in which blackness is shown, demonstrating the diversity possible within a group rather than an essentialist portrayal.
A recurring theme that’s continuously mentioned and a cornerstone of the series is whether or not their successful life in the suburbs has caused their assimilation into ‘white culture.’ This is shown primarily through the eyes of Dre who compares his children’s experience to his own as a young black child and their attendance at a private school, the white peers that they associate with or date, and their tendency to get involved in activities that are not stereotypically ‘black’ like skateboarding. According to the Kenya Barris, Dre perceives his kids’ connection with blackness is “filtered, subtracted, [and] watered down” (Barris) compared to Dre’s own childhood.
Simultaneously, another important plot point is the heightened presence of black culture in mainstream American culture. For instance, Dre comments at certain points in the show about the Kardashians as partaking in black culture in their physical presentation and the popularity of Hip-Hop/rap music amongst young, white men. In this this, Dre regards black culture as undergoing a mainstreaming and homogenization into the cultural context where everyone is borrowing from one another and becoming “a little bit more ‘black-ish’” (Barris).
The creator, Kenya Barris, envisioned “black-ish” as an avenue through which to begin a dialogue on “race relations and cultural assimilation in today’s America” since it’s airing is aptly timed by airing the same year that tensions are rising in Ferguson, Missouri over the Michael Brown shooting by the police officer Darren Wilson. Although Barris has explicitly commented on the purpose of this show as a family comedy and not being considered a political show where he “gets on a pulpit and preach,” (Barris) there are significant moments throughout the course of the series that take very clear political stances.
A recurring theme that’s continuously mentioned and a cornerstone of the series is whether or not their successful life in the suburbs has caused their assimilation into ‘white culture.’ This is shown primarily through the eyes of Dre who compares his children’s experience to his own as a young black child and their attendance at a private school, the white peers that they associate with or date, and their tendency to get involved in activities that are not stereotypically ‘black’ like skateboarding. According to the Kenya Barris, Dre perceives his kids’ connection with blackness is “filtered, subtracted, [and] watered down” (Barris) compared to Dre’s own childhood.
Simultaneously, another important plot point is the heightened presence of black culture in mainstream American culture. For instance, Dre comments at certain points in the show about the Kardashians as partaking in black culture in their physical presentation and the popularity of Hip-Hop/rap music amongst young, white men. In this this, Dre regards black culture as undergoing a mainstreaming and homogenization into the cultural context where everyone is borrowing from one another and becoming “a little bit more ‘black-ish’” (Barris).
The creator, Kenya Barris, envisioned “black-ish” as an avenue through which to begin a dialogue on “race relations and cultural assimilation in today’s America” since it’s airing is aptly timed by airing the same year that tensions are rising in Ferguson, Missouri over the Michael Brown shooting by the police officer Darren Wilson. Although Barris has explicitly commented on the purpose of this show as a family comedy and not being considered a political show where he “gets on a pulpit and preach,” (Barris) there are significant moments throughout the course of the series that take very clear political stances.
For example, in Season 2, black-ish aired an episode entitled “Hope” focusing on police brutality. The Johnson family sits around the television and waits to hear whether or not a police officer will be indicted for the murder of an unarmed black man. This episode is a perfect example of how there can be diversity in the same community as Dre attempts to communicate to his kids to fear the police as his wife, Bow, tries to instill into them respect for authority and trust in the judicial process. Rather than simply putting forth a cohesive viewpoint that all black people feel the same way regarding police brutality, black-ish demonstrates the shades of grey and allows for discussion and debate during the episode.
Black-ish may not be the first of its kind, but it offers a much needed update on the portrayal of ‘the black family.” Through the practice of expression, black-ish goes beyond a simple, one-dimensional depiction of blackness by complicating the notion of what it means to be black in modern-day society. Even though the show’s primary focus is to operate as a widely relatable family comedy, it also understands its power and position as a critically acclaimed show and offers political stances on divisive current issues.
Black-ish may not be the first of its kind, but it offers a much needed update on the portrayal of ‘the black family.” Through the practice of expression, black-ish goes beyond a simple, one-dimensional depiction of blackness by complicating the notion of what it means to be black in modern-day society. Even though the show’s primary focus is to operate as a widely relatable family comedy, it also understands its power and position as a critically acclaimed show and offers political stances on divisive current issues.
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