On "I Dream" self-shot stories explore the meaning and state of the American dream. From the desire for homeownership to ambitions for higher ed or career success, they show the hard work, opportunities and barriers that come with pursuing this ideal today.
The main stories featured are Mahsa A. from Fairfax, Virginia; Tyler M. and Bre R. from Joliet, Illinois; and Gunnar J. from Unalakleet, Alaska.
More About The Series
Since it launched in January 2020, PBS AMERICAN PORTRAIT has collected more than 11,000 stories from people across America that, together, hope to answer the question: What does it really mean to be an American today? Millions of people visited the site throughout 2020 to explore user-submitted stories in response to a series of thought-provoking prompts and the events of 2020 in real-time.
These stories helped share the themes reflected in the four-part docuseries. Each of the four new hour-long programs blends stories filmed by everyday people to create a chorus of voices sharing both common and unique experiences from across the country.
Each episode in the series focuses on a main theme — “I Dream,” about our varied pursuits of the American Dream; “I Work,” about the aspirations, struggles and satisfaction in our careers; “I Keep,” about the traditions and values we hold; and “I Rise,” about working to create an antiracist America. These experiences yield complex and diverse stories of what brings us together and what keeps us apart as we strive to understand one another.
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Produced by PBS and RadicalMedia
