Yara Shahidi stars as the eldest daughter on one of TV’s newest black families, ‘Black-ish’, which is a racially-aware family comedy that puts what would normally be the minority in the centre of the show.
In an interview with the Huffington Post, Shahidi discussed how amazing it is to star in a show that lets them freely cover what they want to in regards to overcoming stereotypes and bringing up key discussions about race and family, that isn’t censored in any way.
“Before ‘Black-ish,’ I got offered a couple roles that … just didn’t portray black people very well …” she added “But ‘Black-ish’ was perfect and timely.”
Shahidi explained that although there is a rise of black role models in entertainment, there is still space for more improvement.
I agree that we should be happy that black people are taking the leading roles, and using them to create a positive outlook for the whole black community. However, we shouldn’t stop and be too comfortable, as there is still so much more we can do and change.
Yara Shahidi said she looks forward to a time when series that “still portray minorities in a negative or stereotypical light” will fade away.
