Questions About Youth Perceptions of Access to American Dream

"He began by characterizing what I had written as "fascinating," which could have meant a multitude of things coming from a teenager. He then explained that his eighth-grade English class included recent discussions about immigrant pursuits of the American dream. Accordingly, one major takeaway from those conversations with his teacher and peers was that many people come to the U.S. because it is perceived as a land of opportunity."

"In addition to the racial profiling, harassment, abuse and police killings of unarmed Black Americans that I wrote about yesterday, this middle schooler's perspective has me wondering how other youth his age, as well as collegians in the U.S. and abroad are thinking about the possibility of the American dream at this time for themselves and others. I am especially interested in knowing how attainable it feels among Asian, Black, Latino and Indigenous youth here and elsewhere across the globe."

"The Trump administration includes few people of color in leadership roles-certainly much, much fewer than in the Obama and Biden administrations. Programs and policies that were designed to ensure equitable opportunities for citizens who make our nation diverse have been ravaged (in some instances outlawed) during Donald Trump's second presidential term. Black, Latino and international student enrollments at Harvard University and other elite institutions have declined since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled race-conscious admissions practices unconstitutional. Immigrants are being threatened, terrorized and deported."

A thoughtful response from an African American 14-year-old revealed how classroom conversations about immigrant pursuit of the American dream shape perceptions. Many people come to the U.S. because it is perceived as a land of opportunity, but that presumption is complicated by racial profiling, harassment, abuse and police killings of unarmed Black Americans. Questions arise about how youth and collegians, domestically and abroad, assess the attainability of the American dream across Asian, Black, Latino and Indigenous communities and in comparison with white counterparts. Leadership diversity has declined and programs ensuring equitable opportunities have been ravaged. Black, Latino and international enrollments at elite institutions have decreased, and immigrants face threats, terror and deportation.

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