“Oreo Cookie” and Other Lies
Debunking the American Dream
Growing up in a spacious suburban house with a manicured lawn, I naively believed in the American Dream. Every Saturday, neighborhood kids would play together, and in those moments, I was just a kid, not a black kid.
My parents, Haitian immigrants in their twenties, instilled in me the value of hard work. Dad, a young professor, and Mom, fierce and protective maternal figure, hustled and educated themselves to achieve the American Dream.
They believed education would be the key to my success in a system that often felt unfair to Black people.
Years later, at university, the cracks began to show. Microaggressions, like classmates saying “oh you’re such an Oreo cookie!” became a constant undercurrent. Boardrooms remained devoid of faces that reflected my community. My success, while acknowledged, felt like an anomaly. The surprise in interviewers’ eyes during promotions, a silent question: “How did she get here?”
Capitalism thrives on individual achievement, yet its foundation is often rooted in the exploitation of Black communities. We’re told to climb the corporate ladder, but the rungs themselves are built on a legacy of disenfranchisement, silencing our voices and ensuring the system isn’t built for our collective success. My parents’ story exemplifies this.
They immigrated with hope, only to face consistent limitations despite their hard work.
So, where do we go from here? Can true equality exist within a capitalist framework? Perhaps we need to explore alternative economic models that prioritize social justice and dismantle systems that profit from the exploitation of marginalized groups.
