Yasmine Hassan…
“No, because there is no social mobility for our people. Also, there is no one American Dream there are many so it depends on what dream you are achieving. I have so many thoughts. This is a diverse country but for us African Americans there is not enough opportunity or justice. For the American to achieve the American Dream, for us, there are roadblocks and the blocks are the color of our skin and White individuals are blocking that dream because we are different.”
Marquis Madden…
“I do believe that the American Dream is very much alive and well, but I do not believe it is attainable for everybody that comes here. I think the American Dream is reserved for certain groups of people. That is my idea on it.”
Rukiya Elmi…
“I would say it is individual, emotional, we all have an answer. But to me a person who grew up with a background in Africa, a refugee camp, I would say it is not real for me, but it [the American Dream] is a process and I have to do it, work towards it every single day, I’m hoping to see it one day. But, it is something that I am accomplishing every day and it is not easy, it can be hard.”
Kiana Clark…
“I would say no just based on how society is now, it’s funny, for Black people there was never such a thing as an American Dream whatsoever. We are still considered a minority, we always seem to be at the bottom of the barrel and we do not get to live an American Dream, White people won’t let us live the Dream, when it comes to credit, money, regardless, there’s no such thing in our vocabulary as the American Dream. We have to live by their rules and that’s not a dream to me, that’s sounds more like slavery and that’s all it is. On their end there’s possibly a dream to live without someone telling you what to do and monitoring what you do, but we don’t have that, not here in America.”
K. Wyking Garrett…
“The so called American Dream was never a reality for the descendants of those who had to endure a nightmare to make a dream for many others, but I think the most important thing is that we have our own dreams and our visions and we work to make those a reality and the world a better place.”
Dee Jackson…
“I feel like the American Dream is still a reality if you want it to be, you just have to work hard and go for it.”
Photos/Aaron Allen
