“If we all believe in it hard enough, and we all strive towards it, we can express these ideas that is the the American Dream – it’s a dream for unity, it’s a dream for togetherness, it’s a dream for society.”
N is…
- 42 Years-Old
- Male, Cisgender
- Black
- Central America
- Atheist
- Middle Class
- Heterosexual
Author’s Note
My interview subject, N, is a 42-year-old from Central America, heterosexual man who currently lives in the Northeast United States. He came to the United States from a Western Europe country as a child as his parents were seeking better employment. His American Dream is to, as a country, be more inclusive and sensitive to all people, regardless of race, gender, class, or religion. Rather than the American Dream being something that is achieved on an individual level, N sees it as a collective national goal, one that will bring the country together on the basis of unity, respect, and equality.
To represent how N sees the American Dream, I chose to draw a wishing well—throw in a penny for your wish, or in this case, different dreams for America, into a pit of darkness, and hope and wait for all of them to come true. N had expressed his belief that the American Dream is something that we all have to work towards, and that even if we don’t see change in our lifetime, there is still something about the American spirit that shines through even the darkest of places, just like a wishing well. I have included a quote from our interview in the drawing as I believe it captured how N sees the American Dream.