However, by living an affluent life in a community dominated by the Caucasian community, Johnson’s wife and children tend to develop a blind eye towards their skin color. They believe that the fact that they are black has nothing to do with their identity. However, Johnson still sticks of the fact that there is a great difference. He compares the current black identity with the identity he had as a black boy. He realizes that there have been a lot of “imagined” changes that he feels that are not realistic (Cara). To him, a black will always be a black. Therefore, his children must appreciate the fact that they are blacks. He sticks to his African culture and even believes that his children should undergo the rite of passage as Africans. This is one thing that Johnson’s wife does not approve of.
Living happily with his wife Rainbow Johnson, and his four adorable kids, Dre still believes that there is something missing. He still believes that the fact that he is black is, somehow, a deterring factor on his success. Enthusiastically, Dre waits for a promotion to be the Vice President of his advertising company. That makes him happy because he will be the first black to be a senior vice president of the company. To his surprise, he is made a vice president for Urban Division. This was the least he was expecting, after his hard work and performance. Dre wonders “ they just put me to be in charge of black stuff” (Saji). To him, the section in which he was put to head was because he was black. Why can they let him head other departments apart from the one related to the black stuff? Dre gets mad because he feels that his company recognize him just it terms of his skin color. He believes that he has done a good work and therefore he should be recognized by his performance, not the skin color. On the other hand, Dre happy that his promotion is a clear evidence of what he has been telling his family. His wife, Rainbow, has never believed on the fact that they are different due to their skin color. At least he has something tangible to use in his arguments.
Johnson’s oldest son, Andre, has just joined a neighboring high school. He does not want to use the name Andre; he wants to be called Andy. This makes his father unhappy. Dre believes that Andy is more “whitish”. He wants his son to appreciate the fact that he is black, something that his son seems not to understand. Andre also plays hockey. Again, according to Dre, hockey is a game for the whites, not blacks. He wants his son to play basketball, something which identifies him with the black society (Cara). His youngest son is oblivious of the fact that Barack Obama is the fact black person to be the President of the United States; this makes Dre unhappy (Saji). Dre believes that such facts should be appreciated by any black in America. It is ironic that Dre is complaining of being treated differently at work because he is black; that his workmates only identify him as a black person. But on the other hand, pushes his family to appreciate the essential characteristics of being black. Dre wants his family to be black, not to be “blackish”.
On the other hand, the Blackish series does not actually the specifics of what makes a person black or white. For example, Dre was born and grew in a ghetto. His parents still live in the ghetto. On the other hand, his wife, Rainbow, was raised in an affluent neighbor. However, Rainbow still can’t wait to meet he in-laws. Their children are also going through high quality education system. Dre is portrayed as a symbol of blackness. He believes that, even though, they are in America, his son must pass through African traditional passage of rites (Saji). This shows that Dre is irrevocably black. No matter how wealthy they are, no matter the kind of neighborhood they are living, the fact still remains that they are black. To some extent, Dre blames himself for not passing the sense of identity to his children, that is why they do not identify themselves as black.
According to the series Blackish, the notion that equality can achieved by ignoring the fact that one is black or white is not correct. As a matter of fact, color blindness, when it comes to race is the greatest type of racism. Racism therefore should not be solved by “not seeing colors” but by acknowledging the difference while treating everybody equally. The main force that defines Dre’s children is money. They do not see beyond the financial privilege that they have, that is why they do not identify themselves as blacks (Cara). On the other, Dre is caught in the dilemma of providing a better life for his family and preserving the historical amnesia.
Works Sited
Black-Ish. By Peter Saji. Perf. Anthony Anderson. 2014. ABC. 12 Dec. 2014. Web. 5 May 2016.
Afrolina, Cara. “Black-Ish Review”. Online video clip. You tube. You tube. 26 Sept. 2014. Web. 5 May 5, 2016.
