Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, released the ingenious music video for “This is America” last week, which highlighted the struggles in the Black community while incorporating several A-list features and tantalizing visuals. The video pushed the single into the coveted number one spot on Billboard’s Top 100 chart, earning Gambino his first #1 single.
In the wake of his video, several online trolls and heavily opinionated think pieces have chosen to attack Gambino for choosing to speak about Black culture while being married to a white woman with whom he has a family. While dating someone of a different race does not invalidate your own culture, some people can’t let go of their own personal bitterness.
#ChildishGambino aka #DonaldGlover is one of the many examples of Black men who act conscious & awoke but go back home to a White wife/White Supremacy pic.twitter.com/0uLUJBlbT9
— Jada_Blaze (@Jada_Blaze04) May 9, 2018
I keep seeing these “Donald Glover is not a genius” tweets. And I’m like comedian, actor, writer, rapper, show runner, satirist, dancer, visionary…..what else this nigga gotta do to qualify? But he ain’t got a Black wife so…i guess that’s what it is.
— Nick Fury (@WritingTheWrong) May 8, 2018
Speaking of Donald Glover, he’s a good example of my earlier tweet. I’m sure whatever he’s talking about in that new song is accurate, but I just don’t want to hear it from him while he has a white wife.
— Marcus Aurelius (@He_Is_1982) May 7, 2018
Yall “woke” enough to project consciousness in music as it sells at the moment but not woke enough to date/marry/have children w/ blk women? Yall dont think injecting European/Non-blk beauty standards into the blk community courtesy of yall non-blk GF’s/Wives is problematic?
— Croatoan™ (@DarriccLondon) May 8, 2018
While being interviewed by Xilla Valentine for his role in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story film, Glover was asked, “There’s been a lot of conversation about, who you love depends on how conscious you can be. If you love someone differently from who you are, can you still be conscious to your core people?” Xilla frames the question around the relationship between the film’s characters Lando Calrissian and robot L3-37, but it’s obvious what he is really asking with the question.
“That’s what love really is at the end of the day, its not even a selflessness, but it’s like an understanding that I’m making a safe place for you,” Glover responded. “It’s not safe out there. Somebody is out to get you, that’s just the nature of being. I feel like you can totally love somebody and still look out for yourself, but I think the question really is, ‘do you see that thing or that someone else as a part of you?’ Do you see it as ‘we are people together’ or ‘we are a tribe together’ or ‘we depend on each other,’ then you’re always going to want the best for them.” the ground being pummeled by a hail of fists and feet.”
