Commonwealth Club: Unfiltered Conversation: What Happened to the American Dream

For generations, the American Dream has represented a promise of opportunity: work hard, and you can achieve economic stability, security, and upward mobility. Yet for many today, that promise feels uncertain—or fundamentally changed. Throughout our Dinner & Dialogue series, people across generations and backgrounds have gathered to share how they understand opportunity, success, and security in this moment. Now, we bring those insights to the stage. As the culminating event of this quarter’s Dinner & Dialogue series, What Happened to the American Dream?, this Unfiltered Conversation will bring together a panel of leading experts to respond directly to what emerged from those dialogues. Drawing on their expertise, lived perspectives, and disagreements, they’ll help us push the conversation further. The evening will unfold in two parts: a candid panel discussion, followed by an intergenerational dinner reception. Over dinner, participants will be grouped by age demographic and invited to reflect on what they’ve heard, exchange perspectives, and continue the dialogue with one another. Come hear what our community has learned, and put those insights in conversation with expert perspectives. Together, we’ll look beyond the white picket fence to ask: What has the American Dream been? What is it today? And what could it become?