Tracee Ellis Ross was tasked with balancing humor and seriousness in Black-ish's "Black History Month" episode

TV Guide

Ross directed Tuesday's episode, titled "Black History Month," which saw three generations of Johnsons discuss what it means to be black from their points of view. "My internal conversation was how do we phrase this in a way that allows for the humor to come through but also the depth and importance of these stories without trivializing the month?" says Ross. "How do you frame it with comedy in a way that opens people's minds to a different way of thinking about something." She adds: "The point of the episode is really that (black history) is a lifetime of an experience to share in always and at all times. And there are all different kinds of people. There is no way you can choose one person that is an example of everybody. We are varied in who we are as people, in the experiences that we have, the contributions that we've made and the kinds of contributions that we make to our culture as a society."