Using ebony is a simple way to refer to black women, since 'black' 'interracial' and so on nearly always refer to black men. As such it presents a good way to narrow the focus to what people want specifically.
I liked it at first, where the dad was taking charge to keep them alive, but there was a sudden switch, where he became a moron and the daughter became the smart one. That was annoying. It's been ages though, so I may be mistaken.