The image of Donald Glover shooting a hooded black person in the first few minutes of the music video “This is America” shook me.

On May 5, the release of Glover’s song “This is America” helped many people see a real depiction of current events in America. The video touches on how so many Americans get to dance, sing and have fun while others are struggling right in the background.

In the song and in the music video, there are a lot of hidden meanings and messages about race, violence and the entertainment industry — which helps explain the controversy behind them.

The video is a powerful outcry against gun violence and a portrait of African American existentialism, a culture that circulates videos of black children dying as easily as it does videos of black children dancing in parking lots.

The music video inspires people to have a social dialogue and elevate the real problems here in America. The dancing and the violence is a community where white America consumes black art while turning a blind eye to the injustice upheld by white supremacy.

One interpretation of the moment when Glover shoots the choir members could be seen as representing the people who were gunned down while inside a church during the 2015 shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. Their 10 faces are clear as day and jovial. Glover strolls in, shoots and walks away nonchalantly and untouched.

In the black communities today, gun violence is a real problem. The fact that Glover is able to walk away reflects the lack of attention to shootings in black communities, whereas a shooting in a white community would gain the media’s attention immediately.

Additionally, the fact the dancing is the most prominent aspect of the music video provides another lens of interpretation: dancing and similar culture is all America sees when they see black people. The dancing may also symbolize coping mechanisms from the brutalities that have been happening on a daily basis.

While Glover and a group of school kids dance, riots are breaking out and cars are being set on fire in the background. It’s a pretty clear thought, and the dancing draws peers from all corners of society even as racial violence and injustice continues to be an everyday aspect of life.

At the end of the video, Glover points out that he too is a victim to racism and running for his life with others. It shows that no matter if you are rich or poor, if you are black, you are still a target in society.