On behalf of the great
state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let
me express my deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this
convention. Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let's
face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father
was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya.
He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His
father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant.
But my grandfather had
larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my
father got a scholarship to study in a magical place: America, which
stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had
come before. While studying here, my father met my mother. She was
born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father
worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The
day after Pearl Harbor he signed up for duty, joined Patton's army
and marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their
baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war,
they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and moved
west in search of opportunity.
And they, too, had big
dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents.
My parents shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding
faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an
African name, Barack, or "blessed," believing that in
a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined
me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren't
rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to
achieve your potential. They are both passed away now. Yet, I know
that, on this night, they look down on me with pride.
I stand here today, grateful
for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams
live on in my precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story
is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of
those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth,
is my story even possible. Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness
of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or
the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride
is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made
over two hundred years ago, "We hold these truths to he self-evident,
that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator
with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness."
That is the true genius
of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence
on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and
know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say
what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock
on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business
without paying a bribe or hiring somebody's son. That we can participate
in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our
votes will he counted ? or at least, most of the time.
This year, in this election,
we are called to reaffirm our values and commitments, to hold them
against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy
of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. And fellow
Americans ? Democrats, Republicans, Independents ? I say to you
tonight: we have more work to do. More to do for the workers I met
in Galesburg, Illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag
plant that's moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with
their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to
do for the father I met who was losing his job and choking back
tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his
son needs without the health benefits he counted on. More to do
for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her,
who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn't have
the money to go to college.
Don't get me wrong. The
people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office
parks, they don't expect government to solve all their problems.
They know they have to work hard to get ahead and they want to.
Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell
you they don't want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or
the Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will
tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn. They know
that parents have to parent, that children can't achieve unless
we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and
eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting
white. No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems.
But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in
priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent
shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all.
They know we can do better. And they want that choice.
In this election, we offer
that choice. Our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies
the best this country has to offer. That man is John Kerry. John
Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and sacrifice,
because they've defined his life. From his heroic service in Vietnam
to his years as prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two
decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted himself to this
country. Again and again, we've seen him make tough choices when
easier ones were available. His values and his record affirm what
is best in us.
John Kerry believes in
an America where hard work is rewarded. So instead of offering tax
breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he'll offer them to
companies creating jobs here at home. John Kerry believes in an
America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage
our politicians in Washington have for themselves. John Kerry believes
in energy independence, so we aren't held hostage to the profits
of oil companies or the sabotage of foreign oil fields. John Kerry
believes in the constitutional freedoms that have made our country
the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties
nor use faith as a wedge to divide us. And John Kerry believes that
in a dangerous world, war must be an option, but it should never
he the first option.
A while back, I met a young
man named Shamus at the VFW Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was
a good-looking kid, six-two or six-three, clear-eyed, with an easy
smile. He told me he'd joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq
the following week. As I listened to him explain why he'd enlisted,
his absolute faith in our country and its leaders, his devotion
to duty and service, I thought this young man was all any of us
might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving
Shamus as well as he was serving us? I thought of more than 900
service men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends
and neighbors, who will not be returning to their hometowns. I thought
of families I had met who were struggling to get by without a loved
one's full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb
missing or with nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term
health benefits because they were reservists. When we send our young
men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to
fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to
care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers
upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops
to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.
Now let me be clear. We
have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They
must be pursued and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this.
And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to
protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry
will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America
safe and secure. John Kerry believes in America. And he knows it's
not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous
individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga.
A belief that we are connected
as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who
can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's
a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and
has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life
poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American
family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process,
that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief
? I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper ? that makes
this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual
dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E
pluribus unum." Out of many, one.
Yet even as we speak, there
are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative
ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say
to them tonight, there's
not a liberal America and a conservative America there's the United
States of America. There's not a black America and white
America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United
States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country
into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue
States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship
an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents
poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League
in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There
are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported
it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars
and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.
In the end, that's what
this election is about. Do
we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?
John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope.
I'm not talking about blind optimism here ? the almost willful ignorance
that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about
it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore
it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope
of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope
of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young
naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of
a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny
kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for
him, too. The audacity of hope!
In the end, that is God's
greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things
not seen; the belief that there are better days ahead. I believe
we can give our middle class relief and provide working families
with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the
jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities
across America from violence and despair. I believe that as we stand
on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and
meet the challenges that face us. America!
Tonight, if you feel the
same energy I do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do,
the same hopefulness I do ? if we do what we must do, then I have
no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from
Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John
Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn
in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise,
and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come.
Thank you and God bless you.