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Page 8 The Skanner Portland & Seattle February 6, 2019 News The American Dream Remains Deferred for Black Millennials By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Corre- spondent he American Dream is described as a national ethos: a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for pros- perity and success, and upward social mobility for the family and chil- dren, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers. That’s the Wikipedia definition. For African American millennials, the dream remains deferred – and in some cases, is a night- mare. “The American Dream, the idea that anyone can succeed through hard work, is one of the most enduring myths in this country. And one of its most prominent false- hoods,” Reniqua Allen, the author of “It Was All a Dream” wrote in a recent New York Times Op-Ed. “As I entered my 30s, still navigating what achieving the dream would mean, I wondered what other black mil- lennials were feeling. I wanted to figure out what my generation of Black Americans thought about the promise of the American dream and how we can attain it,” Al- len said. Keli Hammond, the owner and CEO of Wash- ington, D.C.-based B Clas- sic Marketing & Commu- nications and author of T “Craved: the Secret Sauce to Building a Highly-Suc- cessful, Standout Brand,” said Black millennials have an uphill climb to achieve the American Dream. “Unfortunately, this is a very true reality. Race is a touchy subject in this country – always has been, always will be,” Hammond said. “It’s fun- ny because, even thought it’s part of our social con- struct, it’s still incredibly uncomfortable when it’s talked about.” Hammond, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Ad- vertising from Temple University and a certifi- cation in Change Lead- ership from Cornell Uni- versity, noted that race has a way of humbling dreams quite fast. “Although I believe that millennials in general are struggling to iden- tify with the American Dream, for Black mil- lennials it can often feel like a dream you can’t achieve,” she said. “We weren’t afforded the same job opportuni- ties or raises, we don’t have the same networks, we’re not given the same leeway if we make a mis- take, and we don’t have the same access to capital or generational wealth – it’s hard every day,” Ham- mond said. In a survey customized exclusively for NNPA Newswire, Branded Re- search asked 452 African Americans which aspect of the American Dream is most important. Keli Hammond, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Advertising from Temple University and a certification in Change Leadership from Cornell University, noted that race has a way of humbling dreams quite fast A total of 30 percent said having a comfort- able retirement; 21 per- cent said homeowner- ship; 21 percent said setting up their children for success; 15 percent said owing a business; 7 percent said a college education; and 6 percent said having a nuclear family. When broken down by gender, 22 percent of men and 34 percent of women said having a comfortable retirement was most important. Twenty-two percent of men identified home- ownership as most im- portant as compared with 21 percent of wom- en. When broken down by age, 24 percent of those between 18 and 24 iden- tified setting up their children for success was most important and 21 percent of the same age group said having a com- fortable retirement and owning a business is par- amount. Twenty-eight percent of African Americans between 25 and 34 iden- tified home ownership as most important fol- lowed by setting up their children for success (27 A career you can be proud of. Being a carpenter isn’t just a job. It’s a way of life. We’re devoted to strengthening the lives of our members with steady work, wealth and personal growth. We take a stand for our members and all workers. We work together to lead the building industry in safety, training and compensation. We create rich lives for our members and partners. To learn more about becoming a union carpenter, go to NWCarpenters.org. 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Younger African Americans value home- ownership, setting up children for success and owning a business while older African Americans value a comfortable re- tirement most. “The American Dream isn’t what I strive for [be- cause] my goal is to be successful in my chosen creative path of singing and to travel the world doing that – not to be tethered to a job I don’t like, to pay a mortgage I don’t want in order to live permanently any- want to be,” Branch said. “If I did get the surplus funds to buy a house, I’d rent it out and use the in- vestment to fund a more mobile lifestyle.” Hammond argued that Black millennials want equality, opportunity and freedom. “We want the same business and home loans, we want the same job offers, we want the same – everything,” she said. “I’m college-educated, well-read, and well-trav- eled. I’m a business own- er and a homeowner, and even with all of that, I’m keenly aware that I am still very much an under- dog,” Hammond contin- ued. “Freedom means you don’t struggle financially or live paycheck-to-pay- check. Freedom means you’re able to relax some- times and not worry about all the ways that you have to work to dis- pel racial myths and ste- reotypes.”