Challenges of the American Dream

The Challenges of the American Dream, will explore one of the most enduring questions in American life: is the American Dream still alive today? Panelists will examine what the Dream means across different communities, the barriers that stand in the way of opportunity, and the policies or cultural forces that shape whether people feel it is within reach. By bringing together voices from different perspectives, the event aims to foster an honest, balanced, and thought-provoking conversation about opportunity, inequality, and the future of the American Dream.In addition to the discussion, there will be free food and swag giveaways.

Paula Goddard is the founder and executive director of Horizons Youth Program, Inc., a 501(c)(3) that provides academic, artistic, and financial literacy programs for youth and adults across multiple states and Washington, DC. She is the author of the personal finance book Money Minute (2015) and the children’s book Children of the Sun: The Painted Ones – Part 1, and her dramatic short play Dry Cleaners Dilemma was featured at the 2019 DC Black Theatre and Arts Festival. Goddard holds a BA, magna cum laude, from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and an MS in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University, and she has created award-winning entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs for underserved communities.

Monica Harris is Executive Director of Fair For All. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where she served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. She spent more than a decade as a business and legal affairs executive at Walt Disney Television, NBCUniversal Media, and Viacom Media Networks. In 2011, Harris abandoned corporate life and moved with her family to Montana where she launched her own firm and serviced entertainment clients remotely. Monica is also a TEDx speaker, author, and blogger who advocates for balanced, common sense solutions to systemic problems based on our shared values and goals. Her new book, The Illusion of Division, is available on Amazon.

Moderator: Gabriel Nadales is a free speech activist, author of Behind the Black Mask: My Time as an Antifa Activist, and National Director of Our America, an organization promoting the American Dream. A former Antifascist activist, he has spoken at over 100 college campuses and TEDxNaperville, warning students against political extremism, violence, censorship, and Critical Race Theory. Gabriel holds a Bachelor’s degree in General Studies with a concentration in Social Justice Essentials from Southern New Hampshire University and is an ITF black belt martial artist, husband, and father.

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