Roughly Speaking

With more than 135 million views, ----This Is America,---- the provocative video by Childish Gambino, the musical alter ego of actor Donald Glover, has quickly become a cultural phenomenon. The symbolism in its dancing, staging and violent imagery has been the subject of robust interpretation. The song opened at No. 1 on Billboard's singles chart this week. American culture commentator Sheri Parks joins us to talk about the song's refrain, ----This is America/Don't catch you slippin' up,---- and what she sees as a reference to several recent instances of white people calling 911 to report black people in public spaces.Sheri Parks has been associate dean at the University of Maryland and, starting June 1, she will be taking on a new job as vice-president for strategic initiatives at the Maryland Institute College of Art.Links:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY