Dear Viewer,

 

Take a moment to pause. Think about your life, wherever you may be. Picture your city, and the street you live on. Picture your home. Consider how the path from your home to the grocery store is second nature by now. Think about your loved ones and the support you receive from them. Now, imagine giving up those comforts that make up the very foundation of home and replacing them with a wholly new and unfamiliar setting. This is the reality immigrants face. 

 

Immigrants come to the United States for many reasons, from job opportunities to higher education, or to flee harsh and dangerous conditions, to name just a few. When I sat down to reflect upon what motivates immigration to the United States, I couldn’t help but think about the American Dream and wonder whether it played a significant role too. The American Dream is a social ideal that views an individual’s material wealth as a signifier of success, telling us that with hard work, anyone can achieve social upward mobility. It’s woven into our American socio-political tapestry, reaffirming America’s role as a global superpower and emphasizing its character as a land of opportunity. After all, how many countries have a “dream,” an all-encompassing definition of self-made success tied to their national identity. Our Lady Liberty opens her arms to all. Or does she?

 

The American Dream is just that — a dream. At least that’s how I saw it, from my perspective as a 22-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants, born and raised in the Bay Area. I wondered how other people saw it. Did others see it as a reality, or a myth? Was I just in a cynical bubble? Or is the American Dream truly attainable with a combination of hard work and assimilation? 

 

I sought out answers to these questions racing through my mind. I wanted to hear from immigrants today, not just their thoughts on the American Dream, but on the state of our immigration system. So often, the conversation about our immigration process takes place without including the very people who must go through it — immigrants. 

 

This project provides that missing platform where American immigrants can share their journeys to America and comment upon the  American immigrant experience. Those stories that once remained within families, passed through lineages to the next generation, now can make their way out to the public and prompt both national and personal reflection. They are stories of love and loss, of arduous journeys, of adjustment, of identity, of successes and disappointments. 

 

In each interview with an immigrant or their child, I asked three core questions: 

1. What is your immigration story? 

2. Based on your experiences, do you feel like an American, an immigrant, both or neither? 

3. Do you think the American Dream is accessible for all? 

 

Before you continue reading, I encourage you to click the Profiles button below to explore our interview subjects’ stories. Maybe you’ll want to hear a story from a country you recognize, or know people from. Maybe you’ll want to walk in the shoes of a person and culture unfamiliar to you. Wherever you decide to roam, please open your hearts to these stories of vulnerability.  

 

In perusing these pages, you might notice some common threads. Some of the interview subjects may have expressed elements akin to your own experiences. Here’s what stood out to me:

 

Language Barriers 

 

For many, the first step after moving to the U.S. was to learn the language. Whether they were small children or grown adults, the new immigrant’s grasp of English became essential and the degree of one’s proficiency in English directly dictated the degree to which they could succeed. A lack of English skills became a handicap and came at a cost: not being heard. 

 

Sacrifice

 

When thinking of immigrants through the lens of the American Dream, we picture a group of people seeking a new land for reasons that serve themselves in some way: education, jobs, money, success, happiness, or safety. What we don’t always recognize upon first glance is the sheer level of sacrifice that these decisions require. Immigrants sacrifice entire aspects of their identities to be here. They battle homesickness, feelings of loneliness and isolation, and the anxieties of complete self-reliance. And, we often don’t realize that these decisions aren’t as self-serving as they seem on the surface. 

 

Strength 

 

As one of our interview subjects, Viktoriya Babenko says, “These are people who decided to leave everything they knew, and that's like already taking some of the strongest people of a society and putting them into your country.”

 

 The decision to move countries is not a small one. It’s one that takes mental and physical strength. As a collective, our interviewees advise future immigrants: first and foremost think about your health and safety. Then dream big, and never lose faith. 

 

For the final question of whether the American Dream is an all-encompassing goal that is achievable for all, the short answer is: No. In fact, the majority of our participants go so far as to call the dream a "myth", a "fairy tale", and an "illusion". And, they describe how our country’s history of racism and discrimination make it significantly harder for immigrants of color to achieve this dream. 

 

I’d like to leave you with a final thought: Please don’t leave this site feeling discouraged that our system is broken. Instead, I hope visiting this site moves you to channel your perceptions of the stories presented here into renewed empathy and compassion. We need more of that in this world.

​

Yours Truly,

​

Nickita Gupta

Creator, Stories Untold: The American Dream Project