On the far western edge of the increasingly shaky free world, last night we welcomed beer-lovers, dreamers, and thinkers alike to consider Pabst Blue Ribbon and VICE's collaborative campaign 'America Dreaming' with a panel discussion entitled "A Conversation About Today's American Dream".
Guests were treated to PBR's new American Pale Ale, which paired well with a thought-provoking conversation featuring a medley of radical Americans, including Christine Yuan (Emmy-nominated Director), Niecee X (Founder of Black Women's Defense League), Jacob Chaput (Miss Gay Texas America 2017), and Mai Nguyen (Founder of Farmer Mai). The takeaway: in this twisted, Manifest Destiny’s Child of a country that we live in, it is our responsibility to participate in the conversation about voting, community, and political activism.
“The ultimate action is to take action,” says Founder of the Black Women’s Defense League, Niecee X, a member of the panel moderated by Tracy E. Gilchrist, the Feminism Editor at The Advocate. The participants engaged in a pinballing conversation about contemporary politics and the actions we can take to make America a ‘land of opportunity’ for everyone. “We do have to talk with each other to better understand our conditions,” explains Mai Nguyen, who is involved in the ongoing fight against child imprisonment at the U.S. Mexico border.
In this era of political unrest and social conflict, the act of communion over beer, tacos, and conversation was a welcome reminder of our shared values of progress and our ability to bridge differences to make the American Dream a reality for more of us. In the words of Miss Gay Texas America, “If you have peoples attention by being as large and as sparkly as possible, you can sneak anything in there. Take that chance to say something important. My American dream is that everyone has a chance to do what they want.”
A Conversation About Today's American Dream was held at their experiential space which will house ongoing events building around key social topics of conversations and culture.
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VICE & Pabst Blue Ribbon released two documentaries as part of their ['American Dreaming'](http://www.flaunt.com/content/pabst-blue-ribbons-america-dreaming-campaign) campaign. Watch [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3govpFrn-Bs).
Photos by Jake Harrison @https://www.instagram.com/imjakeharrison/
