I arrived in the United States in the early ’70s, a twenty-something drawn to this great land by the promise of the American Dream. I was working what seemed like 24 hours a day in those early days, but I rested easy knowing the injustices I saw during my youth in Latin America – including seeing my parents stripped of their dignity at the hands of Cuban officials – were behind me. I was truly free to forge my own path and assume my own risk – it was everything I’d dreamed of.

Today, however, there are those who want us to believe this Dream is gone and that we need to, “make America great” once again.

Make no mistake, I am absolutely opposed to the poison this phrase has injected into our country, but despite being unbelievably divisive, this recent election serves as a stark reminder the Dream this country was founded on is fragile and by no means assured.

The Biden-Harris victory is certainly a much-needed step in the right direction, but it is nowhere near the clean slate many wish it to be. No matter who sits in the Oval Office, there are still hundreds of millions of Americans, across both the left and right, who feel disenfranchised, excluded and forgotten. We must do better.

The challenges are real and numerous, yet I remain hopeful we can cast aside these misguided political blinders and come together. After all, beneath the partisan rhetoric, we are all in search of the same thing: a country where even the loftiest dreams can be transformed into reality through hard work and perseverance.

There is no magic fix. All Americans must hold elected representatives accountable to drive real change and make this country more equitable, inclusive and conscious, not for the promise of positions of power, but for the well-being of future generations.

We as business leaders carry a particularly important responsibility in these uncertain times. Regardless of industry, we all have a duty to set the tone for businesses around the country and foster a culture of looking beyond the bottom line. Only by truly supporting the communities we call home, championing environmental protection efforts and providing opportunities to those who need them most, will we reach any kind of meaningful success in the years to come.

Our road is long and arduous, but the American Dream is very much alive, and with that we can achieve anything.