Suffolk County Community College’s (SCCC) Professor Melissa Adeyeye facilitated an event in the Van Nostrand Theatre earlier this month with the sole purpose of exploring the experiences of diverse cultures pursuing the American Dream and how it can be used as a roadmap for personal success.
My English class, Multiethnic Literature of the United States, attended as it matched up with our Black and African American Literature unit at the time. This event was a little different from others because instead of sitting as an audience member and watching someone talk on the stage, all those in attendance were on the stage and sitting in different tables. In a way, it’s like we were the “main act” because we weren’t watching from a distance, but rather actively participating and immersed into the conversation.
On the tables were small notebooks, compact mirrors, and many images of families from different cultures. Some of the activities required us to draw or list the different emotions felt when going somewhere new and feeling out of place. This started conversations at every table and made for good discussion once it came time to share our answers. Another activity involved the different family images and matching them up with articles that were passed around, some of them about different amendments or laws put into place throughout history.
The final slide that was shown was of an order that the Supreme Court lifted that allows federal agents to stop individuals based on race, language, etc. Upon hearing about it, and after everything we’d talked about with previous activities, it sounded like something long ago in history. Unfortunately, it was as recent as September 8th of this year. I thought this was a powerful message because it demonstrated how even after all the progression and change made throughout US history, the battle for equality is still being fought, and maybe the American Dream is just a dream after all.
The Surviving to Thriving event was impactful and meaningful as it brought light to the struggles different ethnic groups had to face, those struggles that are still present, and it also made me realize that I’m not so different from my peers after all.
