THE GOOD NEWS!
The good news is you’ll still enjoy watching the Blackish episode because it’s as smart and entertaining as it is intense. Kenya Barris (exec. Producer & creator of Blackish) is addressing a powerful topic and addressing it unapologetically head-on but he does it in an amazingly strong and humorous way. Throughout the episode there are these delightful moments of comedic relief. For example, the banter between father and daughter that ironically debate which incident of police-brutality is the news talking about today (there is quite a list so it’s easy to understand this child’s confusion). There are the feisty grandparents who lived through the civil-rights movement and when remembering the riots, prepare themselves with frozen fruit ready to defend their family.
I am so, so grateful for this episode and I hope other people can have conversations about it. And I wanted to let my white family and friends know that it’s a very real concern. It won’t be a conversation at the water cooler or at the sidelines of soccer games. It can feel like a private struggle, I feel, especially in environments where you are so clearly the minority.
For those of you with black children, if it’s not yet a concern it should be. And you should prepare your children. If you’re not sure how, check back for the Blackish Part 2 post that shares one of my favorite methods for addressing tough issues with kids.
Thank you, Mr. Barris for this episode. It has given me validation that I’m not crazy, and it laughs in the face of adversity and adds hope that one day everyone will seek to understand what the “black struggle” means.
