Over the past few decades, rising costs of living and housing in the United States have outpaced real wage gains, which have remained more or less stagnant despite consistent growth in worker productivity over time. All of this — together with rising inequality, the shrinking of the middle class, and the inability of unemployed or unhoused Americans to access the welfare that they need — has contributed to a growing sense of financial hardship for many Americans.

Watch the above 30-minute episode of America Speaks as pollster and political analyst Dr. Frank Luntz asks a panel of Black Americans to share their thoughts and feelings about whether or not the American dream can still survive in this economy. Dr. Luntz and the panel are later joined by John Hope Bryant, founder and CEO of Operation HOPE, who shares tools and guidance for achieving greater success in the American financial system.