Today, my fellow Americans sent a message out to the entire world. Our values endure. Our democracy stands strong. Our motto remains: “e pluribus unum.” There is only one out of so many.
Our differences will not define us. There will never be an “us versus them” country. Everyone can achieve the American dream. We were faced with two different visions of America through a hard-fought campaign. We will discuss how we can grow and live together in a future filled with promise and peril.
The fundamental challenge of this election was to redefine what it means for Americans to be American in the 21st Century. We should strive for harmony, dignity, and the best angels in our nature, as President Lincoln said. This was what we did.
You renewed democracy today with your children and your neighbours by your side. With old and new friends as one. Because of your honor, it has changed forever. I’ve met women who were born before women had the right to vote. They’ve been waiting a hundred years for tonight.
I’ve met little boys and girls who didn’t understand why a woman has never been president before. Now they know, and the world knows, that in America, every boy and every girl can grow up to be whatever they dream — even president of the United States.
It is an American victory. Women and men. Girls and boys. Because as our country has proven once again, when there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit.
When you look deep enough in the murky waters of politics you will find something real and hard to believe. We are united by a foundation of basic values. Today, you have proven that.
A broad coalition of Americans came together to embrace a vision of an inclusive and big-hearted America in a divided country.
A America in which women are valued and where immigrants are welcome. Veterans are respected, parents and workers get fair wages. An America where we believe in science, where we look beyond people’s disabilities and see their possibilities, where marriage is a right and discrimination is wrong. It doesn’t matter what race, gender, origin, and who you love.
America that values everyone and has everyone a home. There is a place for everyone. Each of us has a part to play in America’s great story. And yes, that absolutely includes everyone who voted for other candidates or who didn’t vote at all.
One summer, I was asked by a journalist if I could travel back to the past and speak with anyone about this historic event. The answer was simple. Dorothy was my mother.
You may have heard me speak about her troubled childhood. When she was 8 years old, her parents abandoned her. Her parents took her to California on a train. There she was subjected to abuse by her grandparents.
She still managed to find a way for me to receive the unconditional love and support that she had never experienced. I learned from her the Methodist Faith: “Do as much good as you can for everyone you can, in every way you can. For as long as you are able.”
My mother is always in my thoughts. On the train, I sometimes think of her. It would be so nice to walk along the aisle.
I wish that I could find her wooden seat, hold onto my older sister and walk down the aisle. alone. Terrified. She doesn’t yet know how much she will suffer.
She doesn’t yet know she will find the strength to escape that suffering. This is still quite a ways away. She stares at the vast landscape of country passing by and wonders what her future holds.
My dream is of me going up to her and sitting next to her. Then, I will take her in my arms and say, “Look at me.” You will hear me. You’ll survive. You’ll have a loving family. You will have three kids. Your daughter will become president, despite how difficult it may seem.
As certain as I can be: America is truly the greatest nation in the world. We will all make America great again, from tonight forward. God bless America and thank you for your prayers.