Themes and message

Gun violence 

The main theme of “This is America” by Childish Gambino is gun violence. This is perhaps best shown in the music video (and not so much the song) where the two sudden murders are some of the most striking moments in the video. The second one – the shooting of the gospel choir – refers to a real mass shooting in a church.

The scene when Gambino makes a gun gesture with his hands and the school children run away highlights the way gun violence is a real fear known by many Americans. The children’s school uniforms are also a reminder that school shootings happen a lot in the US.

The music video also explores the theme of gun violence by showing people carefully handling guns by wrapping them in soft cloths, while disrespectfully dragging dead bodies away. This symbolically highlights how Americans...