Since its debut in 2014, Black-ish has been dismantling social barriers and challenging mindsets. The show hasn’t come in a dramatic manner, however. In fact, hilarity is the series’ central weapon when dealing with the tough issues.
“I feel like what Black-ish has done is make it easier to have a conversation about some things,” says Yara Shahidi. She and the cast tell Parade that tackling the tough issues from a comedic standpoint is important.
“It’s that old saying, ‘Laughter is the best medicine,'” says industry veteran Laurence Fishburne. “We’ve got a little bit of medicine in our cabinets, you know? And we’re just giving it to people in a way in which they can see it. I love what I do, and I’m just so happy that we have been embraced and that our audience is as diverse as our country is.”
One issue that the television family addresses is game night. “My family does jigsaw puzzles,” Tracee Ellis Ross says of her personal experience with the household activity. “My mom, [Diana Ross], and my sisters are really big on those. My mom will dump a box out on a table, and you will catch people at different times in there by themselves and everybody gets involved.”
Marcus Scribner talks about the importance family game night. “It gets your mind off of things that may be stressful,” he says. Marsai Martin agrees as she explains, “Sometimes you can be very separate during the day, and then you come together, and it’s like, ‘Oh wait, we love each other!'” Miles Brown adds, “Being with your friends is cool, but I think family is better.”
Catch the cast of Black-ish in action every week when the show airs on ABC. Read the television family’s full interview with Parade here.
Photo: Parade
