Black-ish Review: Juneteenth (Season 4 Episode 1)

Black-ish has a series long history of combining humor and education to produce something magical, and the Season 4 premiere knocks it out of the park.

Black-ish Season 4 Episode 1, “Juneteenth,” pays homage to the broadway phenomenon “Hamilton” by giving an important history lesson using the power of song.

Cast: Sugarcane, cotton hands. My blood and sweat paid for this land. My life would’ve been different if I didn’t have cinnamon pigment. We built this!

Rather than jumping right back into the lives of the Johnson’s, Black-ish Season 4 Episode 1 focuses primarily on educating the audience. Dre’s work colleagues serve as the show’s uneducated party, amusingly clueless and frequently offensive as they work through issues and current events with him.

Josh: I don’t get it, don’t you already have MLK day?

Connor: And Black History Month?

Dre’s run-ins with his co-workers exemplify all the many microaggressions that people of color still have to suffer on a daily basis.   

“Juneteenth” or June 19th, 1865 is the official day that slavery ended in America. Dre brings up the important dichotomy of America celebrating Columbus day, while so few people even know about or acknowledge Junteenth.

I’ll admit that before this episode, I didn’t know what Juneteenth was. I appreciate both learning about it through Black-ish and the relatability of none of the kids knowing what it was either. It’s little things like this that really show how aware Black-ish is of it’s audience.   

Dre: I’m only hearing excuses. This is what America always does: we think that if we don’t acknowledge something awful, it didn’t happen.

The work that Black-ish is doing is so incredibly important. This show brings up the very real ways that racism still exists in this country and the complicated relationship that America has with its history. Black-ish uses its platform to convey these topics in a way that is as informative as it is entertaining.

On “Juneteenth,” the cast of Black-ish performs a full-scale musical in only 22 minutes. They sing about how Columbus isn’t the hero he’s made out to be, they sing about how black people built America for free under slavery, they sing about how freedom and many steps since then and still to go in achieving equality.

Special guest Aloe Blacc and The Legendary Roots Crew even sing about slavery and the reasons that it took so long for slaves to actually be freed to the tune of “I’m Just a Bill” from Schoolhouse Rock. This song and the accompanying animation are such a clear example of Black-ish mastery in storytelling.   

Rainbow brings in this episode’s emotional resolution when she points out that they can do something right now, prompting the whole family to go ahead and celebrate Juneteenth themselves. America has a long way to go in eliminating racism and truly achieving equality, and Black-ish is helping push us in the right direction.

OTHER THOUGHTS:

• Charlie is still a riot, I love the little glimpses into his absolutely wild life.
• White people have no right to police how black people feel about American history. We need to acknowledge the ugly truths in this country’s past.
• I love that throughout each musical number, each character is still completely themselves; Junior still says things that come out of left field, Zoey is still a self-starter with big dreams, even Pops’ playboy ways come through.
• With the new baby and Zoey heading off to college soon I cannot wait to see what is in store for the Johnsons this year. And if this episode is any indication, Black-ish Season 4 is going to be absolutely off the charts.

What did you think of this episode of Black-ish? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Black-ish airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

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