Tonight is a historic evening. On this 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech, for the first time in history, an African American will be nominated for President of the United States of America. But he does not stand just for blacks, or even just for Americans. He stands for all people.
It is true that, in the past, I have fought for Democrats who have lost. Worse yet, I have fought for Democrats who have let me down. This would undoubtedly crush the spirit of someone less motivated and tenacious, but I have dug my fingers in and held on, driven by the belief that the Democratic party holds the best interests of all Americans, and is our best chance for fighting for progressive change.
Nevertheless, there is a part of me that is afraid to hope for change, afraid to hope that Obama could really be all that I, and all of you, desperately want him to be. I have been burned time and again before, so why wear my heart on my sleeve and push forward again with every last ounce of strength, money, and time that I can muster? Because once we lose our hope, we lose our most important asset: that passionate, compassionate, force that keeps moving us forward. Without hope, we have nothing left.
Here are a few of the things I hope for, a few things I believe we can achieve:
- I hope we will begin repairing our environmental damage so that generations hereafter can enjoy the same nature that all of us enjoyed.
- I hope we will restore our role as a global leader and not a global hawk, and use our tremendous influence to forge bonds of peace and not of war.
- I hope we will invest in our educational system so that children today and tomorrow are able to learn about the world around them and compete strongly on an international stage.
- I hope we, as a united America, will overcome our past and step confidently into this brave new world, a world of peace and harmony among peoples of all colors, sexes, classes, sexual orientations, and creeds.
I am placing my hopes with Barack Obama and Joe Biden. What do you hope for?