If you had to define the American Dream, what would you say?

“I think the American Dream is that anybody from any part of the world can come to this county, and if they work hard and if they have the right opportunities, they can succeed.”

To you and your experiences, what is your American Dream?

“I was born and brought up in South Asia. Then I came to this country (USA) as a graduate student in 1984. And my dream was that I would study here, I would learn the skills and then I would go back. It didn’t really happen that way, I ended up meeting an American and by American we mean White American. White Americans are not known as this American or that American.

“THE ONE THING EVERYBODY CAN DO IS VOTE”

I never really had a documented historical perspective on how the American Dream is not a reality for most people. It’s only a reality for some people and how structured that is. I would call it the American Nightmare right now.”

Do you think you have realized your American Dream?

“Yeah, I would say I have realized my American Dream to some extent. I have given up a lot and I do not think people realize how much first-generation immigrants give up in pursuing the American Dream. That is the loss of family, the loss culture, the loss of support. Americans are not very welcoming, you think they’re welcoming, but they’re not. I think the problem is that people think that by sharing what this country has that they will have less. But it is not so, this country has an abundance of everything.”

What steps do you think we can take to turn the Nightmare back into a Dream?

“The one thing that everybody can do and even students, which I know is difficult for students to do, is to vote. The system is set up to not have young people vote. So, when you are talking about institutional racism, agism or sexism it’s all part of it. It is better for the status quo to not have young people vote. So, the first thing is to vote and get other people to vote.”

A is…

  • 65 Years-Old
  • Female, Cisgender
  • Of South Asian Descent
  • Indian American
  • Heterosexual
American Nightmare