The American Dream Through the Eyes of Black African Immigrants in Texas

Using James Truslow Adams' definition of the American dream, this book investigates whether black African immigrants in Texas are achieving the American dream. Almost all of the study participants Moore interviewed considered America a land of opportunity. Additionally, most of the black African immigrants' definitions of the American dream focused on material aspects. Although participants mostly reported that the United States had been good to them, they nonetheless felt that they had not yet achieved the American dream. Additionally, they reported that their lives in the United States had been, at best, incomplete. They also encountered other challenges which mainly reflected the moralistic aspect of the definition of the American dream. They reported experiences such as not being fully accepted by native-born Americans in general and by white Americans in particular, being discriminated against, and being unappreciated. In fact, all of these challenges created a sense of marginalization among study participants. However, aware of the benefits of migration, they were willing to endure these challenges.

Author: Ami R. Moore
Publisher: University Press of America
Published: 03/15/2015
Pages: 120
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.40lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.30d
ISBN: 9780761865063
About the Author
Ami R. Moore is associate professor of sociology at the University of North Texas, Denton. Her research interests lie in earnings differentials, health-related studies, and the effects of race, gender, and place of birth among immigrants in the United States. She was previously a Fulbright scholar.