#DreamDeferred
First a caveat, I promise you this is not a story about the Langston Hughes…But one Mrs. Shanell Davis-Bryant (women pictured atop).
How did this piece come about: I asked Mrs. Shanell Davis-Bryant:
what is the one thought that permeates all other thoughts and occasionally will wake you up at night?
Langston Hughes, poet, poignantly asked:
What happens to a dream deferred?
Hughes in his — famous poem, goes on to question a dream deferred’s residual effect. The poem goes on to question what is left after a dream is deferred using similes. Hughes’ simile series has withstood times unforgiven test by managing to march through the ephemeral collective societal mind — to become a world renowned oft recited, repackaged, and repurposed poem.
Now, on to Mrs. Shanell Davis-Bryant!
Onto the burning questions —
- What does Shanell Davis and Langston Hughes have in common?; and
- What does this have to do with Our Time millennial stories?
To answer the easiest of the two questions — Shanell is a millennial and happily married to her husband Kiel Bryant .
Now, onto the REALLY BURNING QUESTION(…and I won’t keep you in suspense):
- What does Shanell Davis and Langston Hughes have in common?
Shanell Davis-Bryant is the living embodiment of what happens to a dream deferred.
No, she did not fester like a sore, or dry up like a raisin in the sun. She woke up…she wakes up…and solidered on! Shanell Davis a millennial like the sea of us who long for hope to hope again tries her best to live everyday in the sun (cheesy I admit — but aptly true)!
Shanell like the sea of millennials followed good advice…parental advice…the advice advanced by the grand American dream that was sold to every American millennial. Shanell followed the modified 40/40 plan.
The classic 40/40 plan was (as invented and sold by our grandparents): graduate high school→ get a job → work 40 hours a week for 40 years → retire with a gold watch, a nice pension, and a social security check. At some point between obtaining a job and ideally before retirement — you would have 2.5 kids, buy a house, gain some weight (or in some people’s cases lose some weight) and maybe travel the world (by world I mean go to the Grand Canyon — kids are expensive!!!).
The modified 40/40 plan (as dictated by our parents) : graduate high school → go to college ( ideally to be a doctor) →get a job → work 40 hours a week for 40 years making a lot of money → retire with a gold watch, a nice pension, and a social security check. At some point after college, and not to long after becoming settled in your job you would have 2.5 kids, buy a house, lose some weight (or in case you’ve ate ramen all the way through college gain some weight and have descent meal or 3…a day), and travel to some place as far from your current location with a beach and a blue ocean as possible (hello Morocco).
However, in the midst of living out the modified 40/40 plan… life happened and society took a few major wrong turns.
Shanell Davis-Bryant’ Story
Shanell is a first generation American — born to Jamaican immigrants parents. Her mom a nurse and dad an American veteran.
Growing up a self-described “military brat” and daughter of Caribbean immigrants she tells Our Time readers, her childhood was encapsulated by the saying,
“Education [is] key and money [is] tight.”
Following the her parents advice/demands, societal pressures for an increased higher educated populace, and the illusory and implied promise of higher wages and better positions. In 2005, Shanell set off on her heroine journey — pursuing the millennial golden grail — the coveted college diploma! In 2010, Shanell would emerge from her journey a few inches taller, tens of thousands of dollar in debt but a college a graduate!
With all rights and privileges being bestowed upon Shanell as the world rested at her finger tips having completed her heroine journey and obtained a bachelors degree international affairs and a minor in ecology. After graduating, Shanell begin her pursuit for the brighter day that was promised — only to compete with individuals with years more experience, and the experience gained while earning her degree seemingly worthless. Disappointed but not defeated, Shanell, then worked for a couple of years to gain an experiential edge.
While working she quickly learned — and was informed — of the new criteria for millennials to participate in the American dream. At the point in time, she learned she now needed to have a post-graduate degree. Bent but unbowed, Shanell went on to obtain her master of public administration degree(MPA). Let’s not forget while pursuing her MPA she did not sit warm and cozy in her apartment but worked (and not Rhianna “Work” or you know…“werk” but work).
Graduating with her MPA in hand, and years more experience, Shanell once more set out to pursue the American dream by way of the modified 40/40 plan. This time only to be met with the greetings from employers that in, Shanell’s own words can be summarized as
“ Glad you have a master’s degree, let’s sit you down in an entry-level data entry job.”
So you might ask — what is Shanell’s dream deferred?
How to have a family and not even thrive — but merely survive?
Now, 33 and her husband 36 Shanell Davis-Bryant is occasionally pulled out from her oft stressed induced slumber to feel the churning in her stomach and ever-growing distancing dream in her heart to be able to have children, provide for them, and live above survival mode. While her husband a military veteran, makes a good living, without her income and the hope for a family will mean sacrificing not a posh lifestyle of luxury and comfort but of average limited means for one of struggle.
Some of you may be thinking — “still it doesn’t sound as bad as my struggle.” First, it may not be. Second, struggle is relative. Third, to epitomize the financial position so many of us millennials are in — Shanell said it best when asked if there was any other thoughts that keep her up at night? Shanell response,
“I am less worried about dying, which would be the best option regarding student loan debt. I am more concerned that I will become disabled and not be able to bring in the income necessary to service my student loans.”
OUR TIME — DEPARTING WORDS
Mrs. Shanell Davis-Bryant story is the story of us!
Us — millennials.
Us — the crisis exasperated, debt burdened, war torn, pandemic shelter-in-place generation.
The #DreamDeferred generation.
I leave you all with final words from Shanell:
“Yes[,] there were other circumstances that affect my current salary, I graduated both times and moved so I had no network. I work in the nonprofit field though I wanted to work in gov. The story everywhere when I joined the job market was the fallacy of do more with less. So here I am 33 wanting a family during a pandemic but worried about my fertility [and ability to provide].”
Stay up-to-date with the latest Our Time interviews, PSA’s, and letters: (1) by hitting “like” on the Our Time Facebook Page; or (2) by following the publication here on Medium.
