For many years, America has been a representation of hope and freedom to those who seek opportunities. America has used the slogans of “the land of the free” and "liberty and justice for all” as ways to represent themselves as the land of progress and hope to other countries. Since the 1930s, the ideas of a family, a home, opportunity, money, and economic stability have encompassed the definition of the American dream. This theory has been ingrained in the heads of many American families. Unfortunately, the cruel reality of many American families contradicts this belief, as this idea is not readily available or even offered to everyone, not in the past, and certainly not now.
While there has been a lot of research and studies done on the lives of many immigrants, the studies always focus on the negative parameters of the immigrant. Even on television, we see a stereotypical and often biased representation of the immigrant. It’s very interesting how they often depict immigrants as being dangerous members of our society. In most cases, society says immigrants perform illegal activities to make ends meet. I won’t deny the fact that, unfortunately, some immigrants do engage in crimes to help support their families, but it is unfair to generalize an entire community.
Something that I found profoundly compelling is the neglect that many immigrants face on a daily basis. Many times I have witnessed the efforts of undocumented people trying to obtain a legal and decent job to sustain their families, but fail to do so due to the lack of documentation, or much worse, for their inefficiency in communicating due to their lack of mastery over the language. What hurts me the most is that our government, instead of helping them by providing them with some type of workshop to help them become more proactive, isolates them and discriminates against them.
Most people in today's society face many obstacles while trying to achieve the American dream, whether it is the dream of education, a house, or opportunity. People face many challenges that make the journey a little more complicated. Many years have passed, and we now see changes in our society, but sadly, we often still face discrimination on a daily basis. As much as the society would like to think that everyone has the equal opportunity to succeed in this country, it is just not true. Whether it is race, gender, language, or class discrimination, these are all components that create barriers for people trying to achieve their dreams of success.
As a young female student that comes from an immigrant background, who battles every day to avoid being part of a statistic, I can truly testify that achieving the so-called “American Dream” today is not easy. As a society, we still have a lot to overcome to make it a reality.
