“Black-ish,” the popular sitcom on ABC, follows an African American upper middle class family living in a predominately white suburb. Dre (portrayed by Anthony Anderson), the father of the Johnson family, is constantly trying to establish a sense of black culture for his family. In doing this, Dre often finds himself putting not only himself but the rest of his family in awkward but hilarious situations.
“Black-ish” is currently one of the few TV shows centered around a black family. For this, many people have turned to “Black-ish” to address social issues affecting the African-American community. Sitcoms have historically been used to address social issues (for example, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” a popular sitcom from the 70’s addressed gender relations) and “Black-ish” does not disappoint. “Black-ish” has tackled important racial issues with a kick of humor. On one of the more recent episodes that I watched (“Sink or Swim”; Season 2, Episode 14), Dre, the patriarch of the Johnson family address racial stereotypes. In this episode, Dre is disturbed because he believes that his neighbor is not inviting his family and him to her weekly pool parties because she assumes that they can not swim. In reality their neighbor was simply not inviting them because after over-hearing some of Dre’s conversation she learns that he does not like her.
This episode interjects a piece of historical evidence narrated by Dre, explaining where the racial stereotype that “black people can’t swim” comes from. According to Dre, when white people moved away from urban areas and into the suburbs the poor urban community pools were defunded and therefore black people did not have a place to learn how to swim. Dre also mentions that while all this was going on, Jim Crow laws were still in full effect and this prevented black people from sharing a pool with white people. Dre mentions that when Dorthy Dandridge, “‘the Beyoncé of her time,’ so much as dipped her toe in the water of the country club pool, white people drained the whole pool and banned her from the country club.”
While its creator, Kenya Barris, said they are not it for “chasing headlines,” instead they aim to represent dilemmas any typical African American family “would naturally be going through.” There is no doubt that “Black-ish” is leaving a statement behind with everyone of their episodes. In fact, the upcoming episode relates to police brutality and how it has affected the African-American community. This episode is set to air on February 24, so make sure to watch it!
Her Campus UCLA is giving away pairs of tickets to Paley Fest, so go see the cast of “Black-ish”! Learn more.
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