![]() 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. 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. I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my precious daughters. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with pride. 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 would give me an African name, Barack, or "blessed," believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. My parents shared not only an improbable love they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. After the war, they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and moved west in search of opportunity.Īnd they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. ![]() ![]() The day after Pearl Harbor he signed up for duty, joined Patton's army and marched across Europe. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. While studying here, my father met my mother. 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. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant.īut my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let's face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. 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.
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