What is the American Dream?
It is when you are provided equal opportunities to pursue any endeavor you want.
What is your American Dream and how did you arrive at this?
Right now, my short-term American Dream is to graduate from college, get a job, live in Manhattan, and have my own money. When I was younger, I loved the energy of things, so I know I want to place myself in that type of environment. I think it’s changed though, just from getting older and through my lived experiences. I was always subject to indirect racism; there was a lot of internalized self-hatred that I had. I look back on all that frustration, and I use it to propel myself forward. Was it easy? No. I was so over it. But because I found productive ways to channel those emotions, now, I am able to see myself as a confident person who did that.
I know I have to create my own spaces and my own opportunities to really go after my American Dream. I can’t sit waiting for other people. I have to take that power from them and empower myself.
How is your American Dream affected by your categories?
When you’re in elementary school, you learn the very stereotypical version of the American Dream, about how everyone has the same rights. The more I’ve learned about how my race and sexuality come into my identity, I see how other peoples’ perspectives play such an influential role in my life. With that respect to my American Dream, it’s scary to see how my blackness impacts my opportunities─ how I am removed from situations. Also, when you couple being Black with being Queer, people have told me there is not a space for me to be existent in this country. I know I have to create my own spaces and my own opportunities to really go after my American Dream. I can’t sit waiting for other people. I have to take that power from them and empower myself.
S is…
- 20 Years-Old
- Male, Cisgender
- Central America
- Upper Middle Class
- Gay
Author’s Note
S is a friend of mine since third grade, making him a fellow New York State native. He’s now a senior at a Northeast university where he’s becoming a digital marketing guru. I see him as the most empowered person I know ─ not to mention that he’s always battling the odds of being a Queer Multiracial American with black skin, as he identifies himself. I’d describe S as a force to be reckoned with, and he inspires me to join the mission in moving people towards what is right.
I spoke with S to discuss race, gender, sexuality, and ability, and how those personal dimensions alter his American Dream. I will say that his take on the matter is exactly what this country needs to hear.