“The American Dream Isn’t for Black Millennials”

By Reniqua Allen

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/05/opinion/sunday/american-dream-black-millennials-homeownership.html

From some point of views the American Dream will always just a dream. Reniqua Allen shows light on the thoughts and realistic experience of Black Millennials. She gives an example of a life experiences like buying a house to show how different things like buying a house and how that affects Black Millennials American Dream.

“The American dream, the idea that anyone can succeed through hard work, is one of the most enduring myths in this country. And one of its most prominent falsehoods. As I entered my 30s, still navigating what achieving the dream would mean, I wondered what other black millennials were feeling. I wanted to figure out what my generation of black Americans thought about the promise of the American dream and how we can attain it.” – says Reniqua Allen

“Over the course of several years, beginning in 2014 through last year, I spoke with more than 75 people in their 20s and 30s from places like New York; Raeford, N.C.; Jackson, Miss.; and New Orleans. They were Americans from various parts of the African diaspora, class backgrounds and sexual identities. Many of these black millennials told me that their dreams can’t be realized in the same ways as others’ can, particularly their white counterparts, despite perceptions of equality in this “woke” generation.”

In this “woke” generation many eyes are covered with the idea that they are accepting and “not racist”. But they continue to degrade others of other cultures and skin color. Reniqua Allen helps show how in ways people are affected by the judgments of others who judge people before knowing them.

Goals and Why They Sometimes Don’t Work Out

Making Goals:

https://www.inc.com/marissa-levin/the-one-aspect-of-goal-setting-youre-forgetting-and-why-it-matters.html 

It’s great to set goals, but if you aren’t considering key dependencies, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

statistics for goal failure are not good. 70 percent of projects, 80 percent of first business and 95 percent of product launches fail to meet their target. There are many common reasons why goals fail including:

  • Lack of clearly defined goals
  • Poor timing
  • No clear plan for execution
  • Juggling too many goals at once
  • Underestimating the difficulty of the goal

Some Common Mistakes When Making Goals

https://www.inc.com/gordon-tredgold/10-common-mistakes-that-prevent-success.html 

Communicating your goals
How you communicate the goals, and how often has a significant impact on a teams ability to achieve them. The only thing worse than not having a clear goal is not communicating it clearly.

Goals aren’t clearly defined
If you do not know what it is you are trying to achieve, then it is impossible for you to plan for it correctly or know when you have achieved it. Your goals need to be crystal clear, because only then can you come up with a realistic plan for achieving them.

The American Dream Related to Growing Up

Song that relates to this Blog

Lyrics Review and Song Meaning of “Eastside”

VERSE 1

Benny Blanco reminisces a how his teenage relationship with Ashley started. They were friends from the days they used to play in the hands. Back then just holding hands with each other made them feel whole and alive. Fast forward a few years, they realize their affection for each other. They kiss.

It is refreshing to see a relationship springing out of an emotional connection rather than sexual appetite.

Khalid also goes on to say that Ashley’s father did not like Benny much. No father does, when they find out their teenage daughter has a boyfriend. Even back then, Benny was sure that she was the one for him. But the father had his doubts about him.

PRE-CHORUS

Despite their parent’s restrictions, Ashley and Benny used to see each other in the eastside of the city. Khalid calls it the ‘city where sun don’t set,’ which could be a reference to Virginia, where Benny was born and raised. However, Virginia, US is not phrased as a city where the sun does not set.

There are only a few parts of the world where the sun does not set, ever. The northernmost parts of Canada, Greenland, Finland, Norway and Sweden are to name a few.
The next lines of “Eastside” paint a sweet picture of how the couple would drive around the city, enjoying each others company.

CHORUS

In these lyrics of “Eastside,” Khalid sings about his proposal for this girl to run away with him. He assures that they can conquer anything if they set their minds to it. And he offers his love to her if she is willing to accept it.

VERSE 2

Halsey joins in on the song and narrates her perspective of life and her relationship.

She talks about the perspective of life at the age 17 and 23, and how drastically it changes in between. At age 17, we dream of the perfect partner, the dream house, dream car and everything else between. However, fast forward to your twenties and everything gets quite serious all of a sudden. The partners come and go, dream house seems a distant reality and family seems bleak.

The kids who used to play together are rivals now-competing in life, jobs and relationships.

Halsey reminisces back to the teenage days when she fell in love and calms herself down.

This melodious tune ends with a throwback to their escapades when they were young-meeting on the Eastside of the town

Info from:

http://justrandomthings.com

Opinion:

In my opinion this song helps construct a visual representation of what growing up and “dreaming” of what our futures will be and in some cases facing reality. This song in my opinion is great to show the American Dream from a different angle. This song can connect to many people who had to grow up quickly or had gone through things that these artists have. To see that these artists and see what they’ve made of their experience can give courage to others.

What Is The American Dream for U.S. Immigrants Today?

Blog Post By: Remitly

https://blog.remitly.com/global-community/american-dream-for-immigrants/

The American Dream to most immigrants it’s just a dream, but some make it for themselves. This article shows light on some immigrants who have worked hard and had struggled to create a future for themselves and families.

image from Remitly Blog Post : What is the American Dream for U.S. Immigrants Today?

Quoted From Remitly:

“Remitly was created to assist immigrant communities in their efforts to provide a better life for themselves and their families back home. We are inspired by the endless sacrifices that immigrants make every day to ensure the safety and security of their families. We recognize that their experiences not only shape who they are, but who we are as a nation, and that they leave an undeniable footprint on our society.”

Gatsby Blog 2

The Great Gatsby features an epigraph by “Thomas Parke D’Invilliers” (a writer invented by Fitzgerald) about winning a lover by any means. How does this short poem set the scene for the novel to come? Why do you think Fitzgerald would open The Great Gatsby with a fictional epigraph, rather than a real quote or poem?

The poem created a sense of what a man is doing whatever he must in order for the woman to want him. The fictional epigraph helps inform and foreshadow what the book will be like.

Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she cry “Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you!”                                                                              – Thomas Parke D’Invilliers

The ‘American Dream’ Through The Kenyan Eyes Of J.S. Ondara

J.S. Ondara The “American Dream”

J.S. Ondara’s website https://www.jsondara.com/

J.S. Ondara is a singer from Nairobi, Kenya. Ondara writes about the ironic “American Dream”. 

J.S. Ondara tells NPR Music that “the video follows a man, as he sets upon a journey to purchase a weapon. While on his way, we get a glimpse of the world around him through his eyes, which gives us some insight into his state of mind. Ultimately, the video explores the turbulent times in the country, socially and politically, thereby throwing a shade of irony to the popular notion of ‘The American Dream.'” (NPR and Bob Boilen)

J.S. Ondara (image below)

The American Dream means something different in everyone’s opinion. This song begins to make people question what it means to them. Might give some inspiration to change and make theirs a reality.

His song:

Mr. Leroy's Class

The Nervous System

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A multi-disciplinary, pop-art post-modern artist

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