For centuries, the United States has been a nation of immigrants seeking a better future and offering sanctuary for refugees fleeing war and persecution. Along with the dark history of exploitation and injustice, from the genocide of Native Americans to the enslavement of millions of Africans.
The 1776 Declaration of Independence expressed radical ideas of universal human rights and equality that changed world history. However, it took almost two more centuries of struggle to extend these rights to the minorities.
From the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) to the systemic exclusion of wealth building for people of color, while significant progress has been made over the decades, inequalities and invisible barriers to opportunity still exist. . Ironically, the Chinese government, which has aggressively banned Bitcoin several times, saw fit to release an extensive report on “Human Rights Violations in the United States” in 2022, happily pointing out the America’s failure.
Despite its imperfections, the United States is still considered the most desirable destination worldwide for those looking to immigrate to a new country, according to a 2021 Gallup survey. Out of approximately 900 million people around the world who want to immigrate, the largest group is people who want to immigrate to the United States. The enabling environment and limitless possibilities continue to attract new economic migrants, and promise hope to displaced people around the world.
As Jimmy O. Yang, an American actor and author of How to American: An Immigrant’s Guide to Disappointing Your Parents, wrote in his book, “You can make it big as a banker, a real estate developer and a doctor in Hong Kong, but you can literally be an astronaut, a rock star or whatever you want in America. We moved here believing in the American dream.”
While attracting those seeking economic opportunity, the United States has admirably opened its doors to hundreds of thousands displaced by humanitarian crises abroad. According to data from the Refugee Processing Center (RPC), the US Refugee Admission Ceiling to accept 125,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2023, has already received 14,500 from the Democratic Republic of Congo, 6,800 from Syria, and 5,200 from Burma (Myanmar) in July. – among the top countries of origin of most of the world. Although only 1,158 Ukrainian refugees and 5,015 Afghan refugees have been welcomed to American soil so far this year, the US commitment remains significant in scale and scope.
While the support given to Ukrainian refugees in the US is amazing, refugees of color from places like Syria, Congo, Afghanistan, and many other hidden stories do not receive the same help in the US. Talented refugees often struggle to find jobs that match their skills and abilities. . Meanwhile, major global companies such as Airbnb, Google, and Uber have initiatives to specifically help refugees in Ukraine. In addition, millions of scholarships and / or resource support from more than 120 universities are made available for Ukrainian students – The University of Chicago alone allocated $ 20 million. This level of institutional support pales in comparison to what is available to other groups, such as the Myanmar Scholarship Fund. American business community initiatives can only provide $5,000 each for about 80 students in Myanmar each year while the country, which is suffering from the world’s longest civil war, needs help as much as the population of Ukraine. Refugees share the common threads of humanity and trauma. My goal is to uplift, not divide, by championing equity to empower the marginalized. I wonder if we can duplicate these successful initiatives and expand support to talented students and talented immigrants/refugees from various conflict regions and countries with double to triple digit inflation rates.
According to Google’s English Dictionary defines the American Dream (noun) as “the ideal where equality of opportunity applies to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved.”
Contrary to noble ideals, the research-based Urban Institute article states that “the United States disproportionately values rental ownership, and home ownership is viewed as a critical piece of the ‘American dream’,” and provides important data that shows worrying trends in home ownership. which challenges the achievement of the American Dream.
Another significant source, although not an official research body, is the popular platform “WTF Happened in 1971?” often discussed by those who examine the 1971 complete abandonment of the US gold standard. The website’s data visualization highlights that while it only took 2.4 years of life and work to save for a home in 1970, it has reached 6.9 years of wages in 2020.
Given this disturbing trend, and the hidden dark history of The US government systematically barred African Americans from buying homes in the 1930sthe different treatment of refugees of color may encounter similar emergences of a new racial inequality in the next 20 years from now.
At the same time, compared to the appreciation of US house prices over the past 10 years, the rise in the price of Bitcoin has been astronomical, rising by 13,000,000%. This staggering growth is beyond those achieved by traditional assets. In addition, houses have drawbacks such as maintenance, insurance, taxes, and weeks to liquidate. In contrast, Bitcoin offers unique advantages such as portability, scalability, and light transaction speed. Unlike real estate, Bitcoin allows New Americans to start building wealth from just $1 dollar, without discrimination based on the color of their skin, the language they speak, or the country they are from. .
No need to lock in decades of debt payments. With Bitcoin, New Americans can access a powerful tool for financial inclusion and freedom, unfettered by systemic barriers, visible and invisible. Just as the pioneers moved to the West for new beginnings in new frontiers, Bitcoin offers the potential for refugees and immigrants regardless of their origin to stack their Sats in this 21st century digital environment.
There are reasons for hope. America again has a choice.
Will we live up to 1776 establishing ideals of equality before the law, or allow injustice to continue?
As a New American myself, I feel that people have different versions of their American Dream. I updated my American Dream with Bitcoin. Innovations like Bitcoin offer true equal opportunity without slavery. Bitcoin supports decentralized democracy in nature, defends human rights, and has no systemic discrimination. I believe that by embracing our shared humanity through Bitcoin, we can expand access to an updated inclusive version of the American Dream. Like many New Arrivals, my future in this country remains unwritten, but I still believe that with hard work, perseverance, and Bitcoin, the best is yet to come.
This is a guest post by Win Ko Ko Aung. The opinions expressed are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
