Donald Glover Takes Strong Political Stand with ‘This is America’

Donald Glover, while hosting Saturday Night Live, released his music video for “This is America,” the newest single for the star and the strongest political statement of 2018 thus far

Coming just a week after Kanye West’s Twitter meltdown of sorts that left his fans feeling betrayed, Donald Glover’s song (released under the title of his alter-ego Childish Gambino) immediately filled the void that felt gaping and fresh.

Touching on gun violence, racism, police brutality, and greed while running through the mood-lightening recent dance fads to distract from the chaos around him, “This is America” is quirky, disturbing, catchy, violent, and unforgettable.

This is “This is America:”

From the second it hit the Internet, it took over in a big way.

Donald Glover was trending on Twitter with his given name, his alter-ego, and his new song.

Donald Glover is 3 of the top 4 trending topics without assaulting anybody or claiming slavery was a choice. Just from making good art. After a rough start, this week is really closing strong. pic.twitter.com/Ba12JvOves

— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) May 6, 2018

While catchy pop songs flooded the radio waves while people were dying in the streets and protests and injustices were running rampant, people were clamoring for someone, anyone, to come

Donald Glover and Pulitzer prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar have taken up the challenge.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Glover emphasized that point:

We have to create a culture of sustainable activism. The dynamics in our world are changing rapidly, and new information is in our face all the time. We have new ways of looking at the world. For the young people who will inhabit this planet, it’s essential that we create a culture of sustainable activism.

His son listened.

And he has responded in a big way.

Perhaps the most stunning aspect of Donald Glover’s new statement is how universally accepted it seems to be.

Sure, you can search the furthest reaches of Twitter and find extremists that believe is advocates mass violence, but those come with everything these days.

People on both sides of the lane are applauding his video as a needed statement, a singular point of focus to unify, something that has been sorely missing in our current state of affairs.

Donald Glover made his name with his acting in Community and his music with the groovy stylings of early Childish Gambino, but even with his massive roles in the upcoming Solo and The Lion King, he’s solidified his role in society as the new voice of a generation.