I am full and overwhelmed.
My mother was there during the civil rights movement. She remembers living in a neighborhood and never seeing a white person. She remembers the catcalls, rude comments and disdain from people who thought of her as less of a person.
My father isn't here so I get to see this in his honor. In honor of his marching, his bravery to stand up to things that were wrong; in honor of the man who told me that I could be whatever I wanted. Maybe he was right.
There is no other place on earth where I would be happier or more proud to be right now.
For all of the ones who traveled across the oceans chained on slave ships to dead bodies or in urine and fecal matter; for those who picked the cotton until their hands bled; for those who marched (white and black) and were gassed, shot at, and bitten by dogs....this event makes the struggle seem worth it and invokes the willingness to do it all again so that another generation has even more opportunities.
Thank you Barack Obama for deciding to run for president. And Thank you America for thinking that he was worth it.
Whether or not you are religious, does not matter. Tonight is spiritual and moving and as Americans, we are VERY luck to bear witness.