The American dream is essentially a myth—and an incredibly cruel one. It obscures the systemic barriers that prevent achievement, and thus, places the blame for poverty on individuals, rather than the structures that cause it.
Essay Contest
Essays on four books, Matthew Desmond’s Evicted, Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed, Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns, or Robert Reich’s Saving Capitalism
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This Is America: Children’s Everlasting Battle for a Home
“Evicted” examines the cruelty of housing in America, and sheds light on the psychological consequences for a particular generation of children who have to confront endless evictions and constant relocation.
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The Dimming of the American Dream
By any fair interpretation… Wilkerson’s subjects should have thrived in the North through their hard work and leadership. But their success was circumscribed by their race.
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Working Hard but Left Behind
“Not only does she show the absurdity of the ‘living wage’ by giving a detailed autopsy of the American dream, but she also exposes the contradictions inherent in market-based capitalistic economies and the systemic cycle of poverty.”
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Saving American Capitalism in an Age of Radical Inequality
“In this essay, I’ll examine the rules Reich proposes and how they can be rewritten to not just save capitalism amidst the pandemic, but vaccinate it against future outbreaks of greed.”
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The Illusion of Freedom: Racism and Segregation During the Great Migration
“As the tool of those in power, the market was either manipulated to ensure the continual failure of every nonwhite group, or discarded entirely, the economic loss an acceptable cost to ensure Black servitude.”
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The Elevator: A Robust and Inclusive Framework for Equality
“Reich describes a long staircase on which America must take a step back for every two forward. I propose taking the elevator all the way to the top.”
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Needed: A Revolution in American Housing
“People in power formed these broken systems that fail so many of our citizens, and these systems need to be greatly reformed if we want to one day live in a country with freedom and justice for all.”
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The Non Living-Wage Worker
“Low-wage workers do difficult tasks and work in jobs that are essential to the running of our economy, all things that warrant a raise.”
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Residential Stability: A Universal Right
“While the federal government provides many basic services that are widely accepted as fundamental to American dignity, among the most pressing—housing—remains inadequately addressed.”