The idea of the American Dream was always just that: a dream. In reality, one’s ability to achieve monetary success in the United States is often determined before one is born. Indeed, the circumstances set generations before the birth of each individual will determine how well they fare in navigating life in the United States.

The “American Dream” is the idea that no matter who you are or what your background may be, you can achieve as much success as your own drive will allow. Those on the right who often profess this myth of the American Dream point to phenomena they believe to be uniquely American, such as social mobility, as proof of its existence. Simply put, social mobility is not prevalent enough in the United States to be considered an American cornerstone. To the extent that it does happen, it is not uniquely American.

This is not to downplay the gap in chances of upward mobility between white and Black Americans. Just in 2016, the difference in average net worth between white families and Black families was ten times higher for the former. Post COVID-19, I can’t imagine that gap has gotten any smaller, especially considering the higher rates at which Black people have been impacted by the pandemic. How can we as a nation pretend the American Dream is real when the color of one’s skin is the difference between running a race with a 400 year head start, and running that same race on one leg?

Is the American Dream a reality for the Indigenous population? In a similar story to that of Black American families, Indigenous families have a median income which is much lower than those of average white American families. As the data from earlier would suggest, this puts the American Indigenous population at an incredible disadvantage economically speaking. The game has been rigged against these families from the start. While many Americans, such as myself, advocate for social safety net programs in order to curb these inequalities, it is the conservative belief that these programs are antithetical to the American Dream. This is obviously counterproductive and stifles progress.

In a study conducted last year by the University of Massachusetts, it was found that nearly half of white Americans believe that issues such as police brutality are garnering too much attention. While some in the study believe these issues raise important questions about race, others failed to connect privilege to race. This mirrors what I believe is a very popular opinion among the white community in the United States: the issue of racism in America was put to bed when Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. A sitting United States senator said just that on Fox News earlier this year, stating that he did not believe systemic racism exists in the United States. There are folks who are alive today who were adults when the Civil Rights Act was written. In the grand scheme of American history, that isn’t much time. The gap in opportunity between white and Black Americans is apparent and has certainly not managed to vanish.

Simply put, there is no American Dream. There in fact never has been an American Dream, and as long as racism and classism dictates our everyday lives as Americans, there never will be a truly attainable American Dream.