The American Dream

Grace Barker

“Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone with opportunity, for each according to ability or achievement.”  

Eighty years after James Truslow Adams gave his definition of what “The American Dream” is, what can we say about opportunity in this country?

According to the Pew Research Center in 2011 the median net worth of white households in the United States was $91,405. 

Looking at that number might not be a shock, but when it is compared to the median net worth of black households of $6,446 and Hispanics of $7,843, the gap is alarming and continues to grow. When one is looking at these statistics, the ideals behind the American Dream seem to no longer apply to our society. If everyone was presented with equal opportunities, how is this gap of median household net worth so vast?     

Sitting in class one day, a classmate brought up wealth inequality as a possible story topic. Hearing my peers discuss what a wealth gap is, I started to question what income means for families across America. According to Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times, the income gap between whites and blacks in America has increased around 40% since 1967.  

Let that sink in. 

How can America claim to be keeping the dream alive when income seems to be declining for black citizens? I see this failure of the American Dream every day. Just driving to the local grocery store from Berry, you have to pass through an area in which the household median income is $80,000, then through one adjacent in which the median household income is $14,000.  

You go from seeing majestic houses to small, run-down houses. These significant differences in household income are throughout Rome. 

Students learn about slavery and the Civil rights Act of 1964 as if segregation and racism are in the past. Growing up with the mentality that racism no longer exists in our society has blinded me to how things are.  

Black Americans have been oppressed and put down for centuries. What should surprise us is how prevalent institutionalized racism is today. The harsh reality is that since 1967, society has maintained racism, if not made it worst.  

Walking from class to class, I overhear gossip and chatter about societal fads but never anything about the condition of our country, state or even county. It is easy to ignore inequalities when you don’t face them on a daily basis.  

Looking away, ignoring poverty, is easier than confronting, especially when there is no simple solution. Pictures of celebrities going to developing countries to serve circulate the Internet every day, but how often do we see well-known figures serving in our own communities? 

By tweeting or liking a cause on Facebook, we do not change anything.  

How can we serve our community if we are not aware of the lives of the people we are serving? Berry students should be educated about the community that surrounds us. By becoming aware of our surroundings, we can learn how to help. We can start to take action for equality.