Tracee Ellis Ross talks about being 'Black-ish'

“Black-ish” is a new comedy series premiering Wednesday night on ABC about a middle-class African-American family. Tracee Ellis Ross plays the role of the mother, named Rainbow, who seems very understanding about her children’s desire to experience other cultures. Her husband, played by Anthony Anderson, seems to have a more traditional view on identity.

Yes – her character’s name is Rainbow. Might we suggest that there’s a metaphor hidden in there?

It’s been 30 years since “The Crosby Show” first aired, and only a few other shows with predominantly black casts have been produced since then, which raises the question: Why has it taken 30 years to get a show like this on air?

“It’s taken this long, 30 years, to get a middle-class African-American family on the air because somebody is not doing their job. Somebody is failing. Somebody is not paying attention to what our world looks like. Somebody is not understanding that our world is mixed of all different colors, especially this country,” Ross said.

Ross had us hysterically laughing in the background during the interview. (Some of us even started crying from laughing so hard.) She’s an amazing actress and we can’t wait to see what she has in store for us on “Black-ish.”

“Black-ish” premieres tonight at 9:30 on ABC.

Jess Blank is a New York-based producer/editor who enjoys ghost stories, Victorian houses, dancing awkwardly in public, and chocolate peanut butter ice cream.