Symbolism

The music video for “This is America” by Childish Gambino includes many symbols that are used to reflect its themes and enhance its meaning. 

Symbolism related to the characters

Many characters in the music video play a symbolic role. For example, the black children who dance with Gambino throughout the music video are all dressed in school uniforms. This is an allusion to school shootings in the United States, which are extremely common and a great concern. 

The children also appear on-screen after each shooting. They carefully wrap Gambino’s guns in red cloths and carry them away (01:58) and they can also be seen dragging the hooded guitarist’s body away after Gambino shoots him ...