Drowning in the waves of television programs such as The Game, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and quite frankly, anything on VH1 these days, many have been praying for networks to stop dramatizing the African American experience and start depicting the reality of raising a black family in modern day America. Well, the humorously thought provoking, ABC’s Blackish is a much needed step in the right direction.
Set in a predominately white suburban neighborhood, the controversial sitcom airing Wednesday nights at 9:30/8:30c concentrates on neurotic father Dre Johnson, played by Anthony Anderson, who is attempting to raise his children the best he can, despite major differences in today’s African American upbringing and his own childhood.
Trust me, if you’re an African American growing up in an integrated community, this show is probably all too familiar to you. As the title suggests, Blackish sheds light on the blurred lines of stereotypical, racial behavior, diving into the difficulty of African American children retaining a sense of black culture in a time when less stress is put on kids to abide by customs of the past. To put it simply, this show pretty much encompasses every time you’ve ever quoted Mean Girls or belted out Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” just to notice a massive thought bubble above your parents’ heads reading, “Is my child black enough?”
Now, there are certain things that every young black child knows to be true, but will never utter so as not to enforce certain stereotypes and send our people two steps back.
1. Butt whoopins’: we have all had them.
2. And 2. Fried chicken: we all eat it…a lot. #sorrynotsorry.
Blackish shamelessly takes on those topics and more while serving viewers the same bitter plate of confusion black parents get when choosing what to instill in their kids and what to leave in the past.
For example, after much pressure from his own father to follow black norms, the comedy’s leading man refuses to spank his youngest son as punishment during a recent episode, giving his son a stern talking to instead. Only to realize that what’s worse than a good old-fashioned butt whoopin’ is a good old-fashioned, “I’m really disappointed in you.”
And while Blackish does spend time confronting the evolution of black tradition in America, it also tackles classic difficulties of parenting in general. In addition to the birds and the bees, the comedy also addresses gender inequality. Why is it that every time a woman is late for work due to motherly duties, it looks unprofessional? But when men are late for parenting reasons, it’s sweet and endearing?
So here is the take away: Blackish is a rich combination of perspectives from black people of multiple generations and as an African American teen, it’s reassuring to know that I’m not the only one who feels pressured by family to make black friends just for the sake of “sticking together” or binge-watch every Spike Lee movie in the history of the world. Yes, it’s a provocative show. But generally, what’s the most provocative tends to also be the most inspiring.