My American Dream

 What does the American Dream mean to you?

The American Dream is the idea that through hard work and determination, anyone can achieve success, regardless of where they come from.

When I was younger, my dad used to talk about the American Dream and how it came true for our family. My dad was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Nigeria as a refugee because of the civil war in his country. He told me stories of how when he was a boy he used to write in a diary everyday “I will go to America.” To him it was a land of opportunity that felt very far away. My mom was also from a small town in India. Both of them were able to come to the U.S. for better opportunities and education, and now live a better life because of years of hard work and sacrifice.

My dad loved America and was the example of a true patriot, saying he was America’s “biggest fan.” I took after this, and whenever people would dispute the American Dream or criticize America, I would defend my country. I was shocked when my English teacher in middle school said the American Dream “didn’t exist.” Growing up hearing the dream play out for my parents and much of my extended family made it hard for me to see how it didn’t exist. America gave them a home, opportunities, and a much better life. 

I would always counter people’s arguments about how they would want to move out of the country after decisions made by our administration by saying, “Well would you really want to move to a different country? America is the best.” And I believed it. Even if the current administration made decisions I didn’t agree with, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. 

People who have lived in America their whole life have the privilege to criticize it, but it is important to recognize the countless people who would do anything to be here.  Some can’t go to school, some live under oppressive governments, and others live in danger in their home country because of war and violence. Millions dream of the American Dream for the freedom to make personal life choices, pursue a chosen path, and live without restriction. However, as I started hearing more stories about the real story of immigration, I realized that not everyone’s journey or outcome looked like my parents’. That realization stuck with me, and made me confront my family’s privilege to have those opportunities.

I learned about so many immigrants who came here facing terrible adversities just to arrive. Even after all that effort and hard work, they still struggled to achieve the dream that brought them here in the first place. Systems in our country have made it harder for certain groups, or even pushed them out of the country, going against our principles. Learning about these experiences made me question what the American Dream actually means. I wondered: were my parents just lucky, or were they part of a version of the dream that not everyone gets the same chance at?

Reading the “American Like Me” story showed how loving a country means recognizing its shortcomings too. Loving something means wanting it to grow and improve. Today, some of the current administration’s policies and discussions about increasing ICE’s power and tightening immigration policies feel disheartening to me, especially because America is a country built by immigrants. Some people might say “love it or leave it,” (and maybe I was once that person), but now I know that loving a country means working to make it better, not ignoring its problems. I can still love America while believing that we need to protect the opportunities that brought families like mine here in the first place.

The American Dream is not perfect at all, and it isn’t guaranteed, but maybe it is still something worth believing in and improving for the generations that come after us.