For this week’s look into the lives of Americans, our team interviewed K. We wanted to learn just how K’s identity has affected her experiences as an American. The answers were particularly disrupting to the traditional idea of The American Dream.
When I asked K what the American Dream is supposed to be, she said, ““Have a family, have a job, have a nice place to live.”
Having a minister as a father, K was quick to pinpoint her faith as a motivating factor behind her American Dream. Within her congregation, K found particular value in diversity. Being transferred between congregations as a child helped her to experience culture outside of what the American media had offered, possibly a truer version of America. As an adult she has continued to value a diverse community and social sphere.
Having a minister as a father, K was quick to pinpoint her faith as a motivating factor behind her American Dream. Within her congregation, K found particular value in diversity.
Although K counted herself lucky to be raised in a supportive household, she faced hurdles as a woman in her professional career. Nevertheless, she has become a successful lawyer in a field which is still underrepresented by women: “You still see very few senior female lawyers at top executive jobs,” said K. She discussed having her legitimacy questioned early on in her career while her male co-workers were never questioned. Judges would ask “Are you really a graduate?… You’re not a paralegal?… You’re not an assistant?”
K noted that it became increasingly difficult to balance such a career while supporting a family. It is clear when talking to K that she wants to provide her children with the same opportunities that she was given as a child. Ultimately, the reality of the American Dream is determined by opportunity.
K’s identity as a religious woman with an incredible work ethic has propelled her into a position which allows her the opportunity to provide for her family. Importantly, K has maintained those values from her religious upbringing into adulthood. If the American Dream is solely an individual dream, it is intrinsically exclusionary. Because K has placed such a strong value on community and diversity, she has arguably improved upon the expected definition of the American Dream.
K is…
- 41 Years-Old
- Female, Cisgender
- White
- West European
- New Apostolic
- Upper Middle Class
- Heterosexual
