Black-Ish

Black-Ish, ABC’s new sitcom, is a revolutionary outbreak in mainstream television. In my opinion, it opens the eyes of our younger generation to what our society has gone through and continues to go through regarding racism and prejudice. It points out the bitter reality and truth in what we watch on television today. As you continue to watch this new project, you will be shocked on how realistic the scenes are and will be able to point them out in real-life scenarios.

This comedy sitcom is about a Black family that is living the American dream, but because of their race it may seem odd to their White counterparts to see them in the successful position they’re in. They are well-off financially, the main character is a black man that works for a firm with dominantly-white employees, his wife is a black and mixed-race doctor who is a woman, and their kids attend a private school also dominantly attended by white students.

After looking into this new show, we can start to imagine how different it is from shows and movies we have seen in the past and to this day. To be blunt, we rarely see a successful, rich, African American male portrayed as the “good guy” on TV. They are always either the black sidekick of a white protagonist, the comedic relief, the athlete, the over-sexed ladies’ man, the absentee father or, most damaging, the violent black man as drug-dealing criminal or gangster thug. We also rarely see an African American portray a role as a doctor, let alone an African American WOMAN. We see doctors are normally played by a man, specifically a white man. What does this say about our views on the role of African American men, African American women, and women in general?

Black-Ish points out that women can be doctors and don't have to be nurses that assist the MALE doctors. They don't have to be viewed as, less than a man simply because of the reputation of a woman in American society. It also points out that the black man can be rich, successful and healthy. They don't have to live in a bad neighborhood and be from a low-income family. It allows us to see the breakthroughs of African Americans that prove that the portrayals of them in other shows are no where close to reality. 

This show Black-Ish is a wake up call to all these directors, writers and producers to stop living up to the stereotypes in their work. We can’t continue to discreetly oppress people of color or women or any minority group for that matter. And yes that is exactly what we are continuously doing. Simply because our television shows and movies have done it for so long, doesn't mean we can’t go through a major paradigm shift in mainstream television. Our society needs to see more shows like Black-Ish to help our society see that our existing television shows shouldn't be seen as normal or without flaw. If more shows and sitcoms like Black-Ish continue to arise, our younger generation will be able to grow up with the truth regarding what’s OK in society. Especially for our younger generations of color.