‘System is rigged’: Black Americans on the American Dream

This is a very special conversation, because you all are going to teach me and you’re going to teach America some of the challenges that we face, economically and financially. There are no right or wrong answers. There’s simply your impressions about your life and about the life of the country. We take it very seriously, and we hope that this will have an impact, not just for you, but for others as well. And so the very first question I have for you give me a single sentence to describe the United States of America on a call on each of you. Um chaotic Quentin in a sentence describe the United States of America, the land of opportunity, but also chaos. Adele, how would you answer it on a different course? Unknown. Danielle, how do you answer that question? America is the land of illusion and delusion? Tyree, what’s your answer for that?
The direction will be is unstable at this present time. Rico, your answer, uh, the United States is in a time of transition. Miranda, um, I just think things are just unpredictable. You just don’t know which way they’re going to go. Reginald, uh, America needs some serious changes. Jasmine, yes, I would say America is unpredictable and unstable, okay? Dinah, everything feels very up in the air. Chandel, I would say America is currently extremely suspicious and lacks accountability. Ahem, America is in a state of dysfunction. Janet
Ethan, America is on a course to only benefit the rich and Daniel transition, okay, it’s all up to you now. Let’s have a discussion about this. Why did you give the answer? Why do you think you feel this way? How would you give me a little more information about what you just said? Anybody here? So for me, the reason I said that America is extremely suspicious currently is that I feel like it is feeding people constant misinformation, and that’s further dividing the country. I said complicated, because it’s full of dramas. We don’t even know direction we’re going to we’re just confused. Jasmine, go ahead. I’ll say it’s just been proven time and time again that America is not for the people. You know. Why do you feel that way? Um, I mean, we express what we you know, what we need as people, and it’s rarely ever granted a team. Go ahead. I think that America is in a state of dysfunction, because it seems like every four years, the new leader just undos what the previous leader
put forth. So I feel like whatever Trump does in the next four years, it would just be undone by the next, hopefully Democratic leader, and will just be in this seesaw of
you know, rights getting taken away and then restored, and then taken away and restored. I was gonna say this country’s run for and by the rich, because companies keep gobbling each other up. It’s just nothing but monopolies. It’s like six giant companies that seem to run everything. Do you imagine that someday you yourself would be rich, not at this pace? Does anyone on this zoom imagine that they will be rich someday I would be rich in another country. I’ve lived in several countries. I lived in Egypt, and I was definitely rich in Egypt, not rich in the USA, unfortunately.
So I want to ask you for yourselves, are these the best of times? Are these the worst of times? By a show of hands, how many of you think, for you yourself, how many of you think these are the best of times? Let’s see one, two, hands, foreheads.
Who thinks these are the worst of times for you? Raise your hands. 12345678,
the more you say worst rather than best. Please tell me why you feel these are the worst of times for you, I would say it’s the worst of times. I think we were starting to dig ourselves out of a hole. And I’m gonna go back to my answer to the answer I gave the first for the first question, Atlanta opportunity, but also the land of chaos. I think it’s, I want to say it’s Atlanta opportunity, because anyone, if they put their mind to it, can achieve what they want to do. Hey, we just just elected the convicted felon back back to the presidency in terms of chaos and why, I think it’s the worst of times we are in for a s storm of chaos these next four years and down. You’re nodding your head yes. Tell me why. Because.
Yes, you know, I never, I never thought that we would, actually, and I didn’t, you know, vote a convicted felon into office who wants to make so many changes that, I mean, mass deportations, for example. You know, I just, I, that’s why I said the future is unknown. I mean, also I understand he wants to dismantle the Department of Education. So how is that going to work? I guess schools that really need funding are not going to get it anymore. We’re not going to have free lunch, we’re not going to have head start. So that’s why I said unknown, and it doesn’t look good. I see what the potential America has based on the politics here in Seattle, but in other places where everybody else lives, in other cities and states, it’s still the same. There’s no health care for anybody. So that’s why I said I see like it’s an illusion. They say America is the best place, the best country in the world, and I don’t see that. We have homelessness everywhere. We have people being hungry, who live in homes. There are people with no money, there’s no living wages, people, you know, it’s it’s a lie. Okay, that’s a very good jumping off point. How many think overall, overall America is a lie? Raise your hands. Okay. It’s a very strong statement. And half of you felt this way. How can you raise your hands? Dinah, Why is America a lie? We portray so much safety and security and, you know, growth, but the statistics don’t follow up.
This is we saying one thing and doing another?
I have to hear real information on places like Tiktok and that kind of thing, versus in the real media where it should be, so everybody has a fair chance at at knowing exactly what’s going on. So I would say America is a lot because seldom or we fed the correct information, we have to go out and stumble upon it, put the pieces together, or, you know, find it from an unlikely source. I think that America is an illusion, like for some people, life is great, life will always be great, but America really doesn’t tell the true history. And that’s an example of that is how history has been rewritten. History is being, eventually going to be taken out of school. So I think when you start taking room with history, you’re truly trying to cover up something for me. For me, America is a lie, because we have this false sense of democracy. And on the other hand, we have, you know, billionaires who are paying people a million dollars to go out and vote. We have, you know, foreign governments who are sending bomb threats to to polling places in swing states in order to sway a vote one way or the other. So for me, America is a lie because it’s not very democratic, as we see. Does anyone else think America’s a lie? Anyone else haven’t heard from yet? It It wasn’t always. I will say that, you know, because my father immigrated from another country, and he actually believed all the things you know that happened, he managed to move up in a certain way. And I think he would be seriously disheartened to see what’s happening now.
So let me ask you, the American dream. Is the American Dream alive and well? Is the American dream in trouble, or is the American Dream dead? And again, I want to get a show of hands, alive in trouble or dead? Who thinks it’s alive? One hand, who thinks it’s in trouble? 3456789,
1011, who thinks it’s dead? One, two, wow. Um, we only had one person who said alive. Who is that? Chandel. Why is the American dreams? I gotta start positive, I gotta start hopeful. Why is American people alive? Before you all bring me down positive? Um, I would say the American Dream is alive, because, in my opinion, there are multiple interpretations of it. Um, just having one dream, and that’s supposed to fit everyone’s supposed to fit in that box. I never agree with it. My version of the American Dream is something totally different. And I have accomplished a lot of things, and I will continue to accomplish a lot of things, no matter the excuse, no matter the state of, you know, the world, to some degree. So that’s why I said it is alive. I think it kind of goes back to Adele’s point, when she’s speaking about her dad, back when, back in those times, people could come in with their kids. They worked hard, and they were able to find a home, buy a home, or they rent a home, rent a home, whatever, and they’re able to have a home with one job, able to feed their families and.
All that kind of stuff. Nowadays, you can’t do any of that. So I like to get from you your definition of the American dream in two sentences or less. What is your definition of the American dream? Or you’re able to pursue entrepreneurship or either work for a private or a public company to build wealth. So, Quinn, what’s your definition of the American dream. My definition of the American Dream is one that if you work hard, you put in the work, you should be able to reap the benefits, and not and not only for yourself, but for those that will come after you, like I have three I have three children. I want my accomplishments. I want to be able to be able to pass down to whether that’s a home, whether that’s an inheritance or whatever, when I’m when I’m gone,
I should be, you know, the the work that I put in now it should be, I should be able to pass that on to my children, and then my children pass it on to their children. Jasmine, how do you define the American dream, I would say, like, piggybacking off of what Quentin said, I feel like as much work I put in, I feel like I should be able to reap those benefits, and, you know, gain wealth in that way I can leave inheritance for my family. Also let you know, how do you answer that question? Would say, being able to support yourself, your family, being able to send them to school, your kids to school, being able to eat, being able to pay, pay your bills without having sleepless nights. I would call that the American dream. Miranda, what’s the American dream to you? Like an idea that anyone can come to the United States with hard work, you succeed.
It’s basically a belief that once you come here, you can achieve the American dream, and everything is just better here. But it’s not. Henry define the American dream. Ultimately, I think it’s having a better life and being hopeful for a better tomorrow. Diana, your definition. Um, I feel like this, being able to live comfortably, comfortably, being able to be a business owner, being able to own your own home,
being able to have us to up substantial savings, and that kind of thing, I want to find the American Dream is
Being safe, having shelter.
You can make things happen for you. I don’t think like being rich is the American dream, but being comfortable being able to afford my basic needs and also not have my personal beliefs like infringed upon the American Dream for you through hard work, each generation is a little bit better than the one before it Kyrie, the American dream. Um, being resourceful and taking every opportunity that is there. And so, because there’s a lot of free resources we have to take advantage of, and once we do that and take advantage of those free resources, be able to capitalize on those free resources and build on so that Ethan the American dream to you, like being able to earn a living, have the time to build community with the people around you, no matter what it is, church, neighborhood association, whatever, and then get a return on your investment for your tax dollars. You know, if you’re $35,000 if your money is going to the government every year, you should have free health care, good roads and great schools. And Danielle, the American dream, to me, would be freedom of choice, meaning like the freedom of your lifestyle and no one having dominion over anyone else. Okay, this is really important. Now. What’s holding you back from achieving the American dream. What is holding you back from achieving your vision of the American dream? A team you go first. I think one of the things that is holding me back is access to affordable health care. I’ve been in other countries where my health care was my health care plan was a lot better than the options that I have here. And I feel like, you know, health care being
being attached to one’s job is such a weird concept, because for me, I feel like that would make it harder for me to jump from another job, or it would also make it harder for me to have my own business, if I have to factor in getting my own healthcare plan on top of running a business. Jane, what’s holding you back from your vision of the American dream? I would say opportunities. Because you need opportunities to make some certain decisions in your life. For example, like the economy is not really helping people, the increase in rent, the increase in the mortgage and no increase in the salary. So I think the funds most especially, that’s what is holding you back. Chandel, what’s holding you back? I would say right now, housing will be the number one thing.
Holding me back. Just seems like it’s unattainable for myself to ever be able to buy a home, and with rising rent calls. That’s something that I stress about a lot Diana, which holding you back, definitely healthcare. And, number two, being able to have the backing to be a small business owner and that kind of thing, the loopholes and what backing Are you referring to? As far as certain banks not dealing with certain type of people,
just literally qualifying for certain things, it seems like a lot of red tape, a lot of funniness. You get close, and then you’re actually not as close as you thought you were. As a quote goes, you can be the total package, but just deliver it to the wrong address. And so I feel like in the US, especially the skills that you need right outside of DC, are completely different than the skills that you need where I grew up, in rural Virginia. So in the grand scheme of things, yes, I have the education, yes, I have the skill set, but for where I am, where, literally, I think they said DC area has the highest per capita of attorneys in the world. It’s I am that right package, right at the wrong location. Yeah,
let me ask you, by show of hands, who lives paycheck to paycheck, who lives paycheck to paycheck? Can you tell me what that’s like? People will see this and they don’t go through that. What is that like? What is a day or a week like to you when you know that you may run out of money. Oh, stressful in what way? Um, stressful is, as far as you know, reaching out and trying to get help and, you know, don’t want to be a burden to anyone else. Reginald, what is it like to live paycheck to paycheck? I would say stressful.
You gotta really budget your money. You can’t go out spending all of it. You have to really pay your bills and watch every dollar. So that can be stressful. So what do you have to give up? I mean, going out a lot, eating out a lot restaurants, you know, going to a lot of restaurants. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still go out here and there, but you just have to be disciplined on what you spend Miranda, it’s overwhelming, because you have to, like, sacrifice some things you might need
more than one thing, and you gotta see at that point what thing is actually more important, what you can live without. And when you have kids, it makes it even harder, because you gotta put their needs before your needs. So it’s in you gotta pick, basically, you gotta pick what’s most important at that moment to pay. So what are you sacrificing? I sacrifice like little, simple things like getting my heritage or going for a man and petty or going out to lunch with my my family members going on vacation when they’re going on family trips. I mean, sometimes you might have to let your cable get turned off, or the internet get turned off just to make sure you got food. Or, you know, I’m saying you can provide the things your basic needs. Is the American economy inclusive? And does it include you? You can answer that any way you want to, is the American. Raise your hand if you think the American economy includes you and is inclusive. That’s zero. How are you being kept out of it? I think just how much everything costs right now I you have, you know, housing is set. The cost of housing is so high. I want us to speak in DC, DC, in DC, to get a studio, even a studio apartment. You paying almost 2020 $500 $2,500 a month. That’s absurd. For 450 square feet of space, it’s not inclusive, because all of the wealth is going to the the top 1%
but yet we have the 99% of us who already, you know, those of us in this focus group who are living paycheck to paycheck. I am one of them. I’ve had to make many, many sacrifices. Yeah, I feel like that, because
in school, we weren’t taught about credit, weren’t taught about, you know, taught about things that matters. And I feel like that really, really plays a part, because as we’re growing up into adults and stuff, you know, that’s something that is very you know, that’s what the economy uses, and we’re not taught about that. And if your parents don’t teach you, you know, you have to figure it out your you know, your way. From a media perspective, I feel like none of us are looked at. They tell jobs numbers like, we like. I mean, this was the past four years. It’s like we have the lowest unemployment rates of all time, etc, and then, but that’s because people haven’t worked two three jobs. Like, that’s not to me. That’s just not the solution. Like, you should be able to work one full time job and be able to afford rent and food and take care of your family, and that story isn’t told when they talk about the economy.
On me. So that’s why I feel left out, is like there’s these there’s nuance to the unemployment rate that we don’t ever consider.
So before I turn it over to John Hope Bryant, who you’ll see there, I have show of hands. How many of you think the system is rigged against you? Raise your hands if you think the economic system is rigged against you. 1-234-567-8910,
11 of you, 12 of you, who does not think it’s rigged against you? One hand up. Two hands up. Okay. Rico, why isn’t it rigged against you? Um, I don’t think I’m important enough to take it personally. It’s not just me. And to me, rigged makes it sound intentional. I think that right now is just a result of the way things have been. I don’t think it was intentional. That’s why I don’t think it’s rigged. And Ashley, why isn’t it rigged against you? I would have to piggyback off of her statement, I don’t think it’s personal. I think that the the way they navigate, it may not be known by many, but only by the few, right? Because that’s how knowledge and information is anyways. So,
yeah, I don’t think it’s personal, but you just have to know how to navigate the system in that aspect. Tell me why you think it is rigged against you. And notice I didn’t say rigged I said rigged against you. I just feel like you’re not wealthy, if you just weren’t born with it, or just not in that loop at that time, I feel like, then it’s rigged against you. Ahime, why is it rigged against you? I feel like,
no matter what, living in New York, no matter how much my pay increases,
it would either it would either be rent that would also increase, or food that would also increase, or just, you know, regular activities that I used to do that’s like tripled in price. I feel like it it is rigged, being that I’m now making triple than what I did 10 years ago, and I’m still in the same situation Ethan. Why is it rigged against you? Can roll right off what Akeem just said, which is my healthcare cost, it just went up. I’m on Obamacare, and, I mean, I’m near $1,000 a month for healthcare. I just, I can’t, I can’t keep up and down. Why is it rigged against you? I’ll just take you through my experience. You know, when I, when I went to buy my house, I sat through a six A all day meeting for eight hours, and I thought that I was going to get some information about how to get, you know, this house, and you do, you know what I got in the end, it was like, fill out this form, and they basically separate us by credit. That’s it. And the ones that had good credit was able to move forward, and the other ones, well, that’s it. So it is, you know, it just isn’t, yeah, it’s, it’s rigged against us. I’m not the only one, as you can see, and it’s, it’s just it. I feel like it’s in a permanent loop your entire life. Um, like someone mentioned before, if you’re not born wealthy, that’s when you’re working really hard to make wage if that, um, and you don’t have any enough money to get further up the ladder, so you’re making the same money, but all your money is going toward your basic survival needs, so you will never get ahead, and it’s already set up with people who are already elite, in the lead in the race, so to speak, way ahead of us.
This is so incredibly powerful.
Thank you, and if I didn’t ask the right question, I apologize, because I really am trying to learn, and I want to share this with as many people as I can, because they need to hear this, and they need to do something about this. The person who can make a difference is on the Zoom now. His name is John Hope Bryant. He has decades of experience addressing issues of financial literacy and financial security, primarily in underserved communities. I got to know him several years ago, and I knew that there was a light around him. I knew that this was someone who was incredibly special, someone who had never met an individual like him and John. I don’t know what you’re going to say. I don’t know how you’re going to how you’re going to do this, but I turn this group over to you with the confidence that something good will happen. John, hope. Brian, so let me cut to the chase. First, I want everybody on this zoom to get an insurance policy, a life insurance policy, all you do is go get an exam and get a term life insurance policy. As long as you’re in reasonable health, you should get a life insurance policy, up to $100,000 policy, a term policy, you don’t get to go to whole life policy, because this is generational wealth. We don’t know how long we don’t live, but we dang sure No, we gonna die. And I’m tired of seeing our people doing GoFundMe campaigns to bury somebody your children should get.
It your all your children, your husband, your wives, your this is what wealthy people do. They should get the proceeds from your life insurance policy. Um, I want to say I’m extremely grateful. This is something like this never happens. You understand? I just lost my father this past June. Didn’t understand the importance of having life insurance, because we all have a time here. We’re here for a limited time and and hit home run that we if we don’t have the life insurance, how we going to pass on both our kids? You understand. So I’m just grateful for for for John just taking his busy schedule to come and speak into us on this matter, and we need to be informed and educated of financial literacy. Please hear me. You’re not dumb and you’re not stupid. I’ve been listening to you. Is what you don’t know that you don’t know. That’s killing you. But you think you know, I’m repeat that is what you don’t know, that you don’t know. But you think you know, what are people what are people saying our neighborhoods, I want to get this bag, I want to get this cash. I want to get the dollar. I want to get this paper. Want to get paid useless, completely useless. All money is, is making a living, not making a life. Literally, cash flow. Cash is what flowing. And if you’re financially illiterate, guess where it’s flowing too out. Go in our neighborhoods. 41% of black people own a home. Number one way you build number one way you build wealth in America is home ownership.
Number one way. Now, somebody living in New York City, I just was just there every day. I’ll be back tomorrow. You can’t build wealth in New York City and buy a home unless you’re lucky. You may have to move. You may have to move. Do you know you can buy a house in the south, a nice house for $100,000
the whole house not like a closet. LA and New York, that’s a closet. 10 grand is a down payment for a house of $100,000
now, who here has never heard of EIT? Who here has never filed for the Earned Income Tax Credit? Don’t be ashamed. I know somebody hasn’t, because one out of four Americans who qualify for it never filed for it, and those are black people. I know that these are my clients. So let me make this easier. Somebody in your family, somebody in your family makes $38,000 a year, $40,000 $45,000 a year, has three children. I want you to partner with them. This is financial literacy. This is completely legal, as it appears that Quinn does with his ex with his wife or ex wife, I want you to partner with them. You’re going to tell them you ever heard of EITC? They’re going to say, No, I haven’t. Congratulations. You’re going to now get a check for between 5000 my guess is 5000 to $10,000 Now, if you’ve never filed for EITC, it’s retroactive for three years. It’s three years worth of the same money, 5000 10,000 if you make $35,000
$40,000 a year, and you qualify for an $8,000 EIT, that’s almost no that’s about $20,000 maybe more. That’s half of your pay. Are you starting to get it where the rules are published in the Plainfield level, professional sports, arts, rap music, etc, politics, faith, the rules of publish at Plainfield level, we succeed. The problem is that you’ve never been told the rules of capitalism. That’s your only problem. I feel heard and listened to, and I also am very excited, because I think a lot of times when people here, people like me talk. They think that, you know, we’re asking for a handout, and we’re not asking for a handout. We’re just asking for knowledge. I’m asking for how to how to do something. I feel grateful he took the time out to come here.
I didn’t expect anything like this kind of shocked and happy at the same time. Rico, your reaction
somewhere alongside shocked and excited and happy to get the information to pass along to other friends and family who couldn’t be on the Zoom tonight. Ahem, your reaction, I am shocked, and I look forward to learning the tools for success. Alright, I can’t, I can’t stress this enough, the world’s not going to be Fader. The political environment is about to get harder. But God, don’t make dirt. He made you unique. Your fingerprints are the only ones in the world. That’s it. They’re yours. This is you. Do not let anybody
deny you your greatness. So, as I said, nobody’s coming to save you, but we can give you the tools for you to save yourself. Now, can I get an amen? Amen? Amen, amen? You?