Give him strength

4 years later...
      same old rhetoric is tuning up...
            don't let this matter in 2012. VOTE your conscientious!

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What must it feel like?
To carry the hopes and dreams of an entire race of people on your shoulders?


As much as I hate to say it, I know beyond a doubt that the next four weeks are going to be nasty. He's leading, and there are people who simply cannot stomach the idea of his beautiful family living in the White House. There will be smears, all sorts of slander and lies, the likes of which you've probably rarely seen. So we have to pray for this man. And please . . . make sure you VOTE!!! Vote early if you can!

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****** Last day to Register to Vote ******

for the General Election is

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

We have extended office hours on

• Saturday, October 6th            7 A.M. – 7 P.M.

• Sunday, October 7th               1 P.M. – 6 P.M.

• Monday, October 8th              7 A.M. – 7 P.M.

• Tuesday, October 9th              7 A.M. – 7 P.M.

Office Located at 

2377 N. Stemmons Frwy., Suite 820 Dallas, Texas 75207 

8th Floor of the Dallas County Health and Human Services Building

*************************************

BREAKING NEWS!!! OBAMA WINS 2009 NOBEL PRIZE FOR PEACE

Barely awake and drifting in and out of sleep thanks to a symphony of storms rolling through the Texas morning, I awoke to the news of another monumental moment in the exuberant and historic presidency of Barack Obama.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee made a surprise announcement that was received by gasps and applause from a small group of journalists at the institute in Oslo, Norway. For the first time since 1919 a sitting US president has been given the prestigious and internationally recognized award for peace.

The committee sites "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," according to Associated Press Reports.

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the committee said. "His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population." (AP)

The magnitude of the hope and the encouragement to the world that he emits continues to grow. Rumors of his honeymoon with the media and world being over are grossly overrated.

In just over nine months as president and leader of the free world and on the heels of his failure to secure Chicago's 2016 Olympic-bid, Barack Obama has won the highest award for peace in the world. His selection over 205 other potential nominees that includes 172 individuals and 33 organizations is significant if not shocking.

The outrage will surely be fierce from the right as the jaw-dropping news permeates the airwaves. Many of tea-bagger masses will say, *hmph! "What has he done to win the award?"

In truth, leading two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, facing mounting opposition to his health-care plan, surging domestic unemployment numbers and a recessed but recovering economy, Obama still has a full plate to digest with very few results to show.

Although, to his credit Obama has not shied away from the pressure or heat of the debate. He has remained at the forefront of the discussion most notably to a recent joint session of Congress when he stood firm to support his health-care agenda despite open disrespect from his opposition.

Still winning this fantastic award so soon in his presidency will be viewed as a down payment on the hope of peace to come. A down payment that for far too many at home and abroad has to be paid in full now not later.

Congratulations President Obama on winning the award, now get back to work!

Old habits die hard..Discovery successful on third try!!

One minute before midnight Friday August 29, 2009, NASA launched Space Shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The storied craft is destined for the International Space Station (ISS) with supplies and equipment. Space Shuttle Mission STS-128, a rare nighttime launch and another success for NASA will see the shuttle and crew celebrate the 25th anniversary of the vessel's maiden voyage.



Discovery's first mission in 1984 had to be delayed three times with mechanical issues. But, the mission that would pole vault the United States into the next generation in technology would not be denied. Thanks to the success of that first mission we have satellite digital cable, cellphones and of course the internet.

Like the inagural mission, this year's Discovery flight had been delayed twice for weather and a small malfunction of a fuel valve sensor. But, unlike the first mission which didn't get off the ground until the fourth attempt, the third time was the charm for the 2009 Discovery.

I was a precocious seven year old with only faint memories of the historical events of the late-80s. We had recently moved from the West Dallas projects to the house that would spur most of my development from a boy into a young man. I remember watching the space shuttle launch on TV in school on VHS and thinking that anything was possible. Because at that time I also remember having hope that a black man could become president of the United States for the first time in history. That man was Jesse Jackson.

Last year engulfed with empassioned race of Barack Obama the second black man to seriously seek the presidency, I located with the aid of our greatest technology, the internet, a video of my then hero Jesse Jackson speaking to a capacity congregation of the Tedley Baptist church in Philadephia, PA. At that time his cry was for a choice and a chance.



Ultimately, his cries fell on deaf ears as the country would later re-elect Ronald Reagan to the office of president for a second term. My hopes for change were dashed but not diminished.

Fast forward 25 years.

On a wintery November night, Jesse and countless others cried a new brand of tears as he along with the world watched in prideful astonishment as Barack H. Obama gave his victory speech in Chicago forging his transcendent place in modern American history.

But Obama's history could not have been possible without the pioneering efforts of Jesse Jackson in the mid-80s. Jesse's call to action and ill-fated campaign for the White House galvanized grass-roots efforts throughout black communities across the country as the generation of blacks that had survived the sixties and their offspring were beginning to find their voice and they would not silenced.

Now in the dawn of the first African-American presidency, seeing the space shuttle launch successfully brings back so many of my childhood memories and renews my hope that our work is not done and we as a people will one day overcome!

HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY NAACP!!!

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People or NAACP turns 100 years old today. In honor and recognition of their tireless efforts to improve the racial relations in America and the world, I want to personally say, "Thank you!" to all of the brave men and women that marched and toiled in the fight for freedom and justice for people of color.

Doctors, lawyers, police officers, firefighters, preachers, teachers, and all the like paved the path for us and we proudly stand the shoulders of those great champions of justice and equality. The next generation, my generation are honored and awe-inspired by your achievements and social directives. Even in the age of Obama, we realize that the fight for equality is not over in America and the world but we stand are standing at the ready and fully committed to the struggle lies ahead of us. With memories of a time when the sourness of segregation and slavery permeated the fabric of American society, we will boldly carry the torch on into the next millennium!!!

Withdrawn by withdrawals....Sen. Judd Gregg withdraws name for Commerce Secretary!!

The web is a blaze as yet another Obama nominee withdraws from cabinet appointee back to the Senate. Today New Hampshire Republican Sen. Judd Gregg became the second Commerce Secretary nominee to get out of the kitchen for fear of the fire!!

"It has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the census there are irresolvable conflicts for me," Gregg said in a statement to be released by his office. "Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns." (washingtonpost.com)

What a crock of hoo-ey!! The sudden recoil by Sen. Gregg is nothing more than the Republican party scrambling to find ways to hurt the Obama Administration while defending home-court in the Senate. Had Gregg been appointed it would have meant another opening on the Senate floor that the GOP would have defend come November 2010. Some things change but Republicans stay the same!!!

WHAT A FANTASTIC DAY!! YES WE DID!!

It's a bright and shining 1st day in a new America!! President Barack Obama took the official oath of office yesterday and the country, some say the world, changed forever. We will remember this moment as period in time when we as an American people banded together to reach out and helped each other do something truly historic. We are in the toughest economic climate of any era since the Great Depression. The number of Americans that have lost their jobs is both staggering and sobering. It is with the spirit of our forebears of that resourceful generation, that we begin a fantastic trek into the beyond, daring to leave our own indelible mark on the fabric of this nation.

Unfortunately, I did not get to attend the inaugural celebration in Washington D. C. no, I spent my morning re-registering for spring classes at Richland College. The significance of the moment permeated the atmosphere of the entire campus. Every person that wanted to ceremony was able to witness to the greatest triumph for American race relations since the demolition of Jim Crow. As I waited patiently in line to pay my tuition for my classes, President Obama was sworn in and then he took the podium as President of the United States, for the first time. He then proceeded to talk to the nation and the world, delivering his most profound declaration that "change" has finally come to America. From on that moment and throughout his inaugural address, the silence that surrounded the registration office inside Thunderduck Hall was unmistakable. The nation stood still as he spoke about the amazingly challenging job we are all beginning together. With President Obama's inspirational words engulfing my entity, I was moved to capture some of the day with my hand cam to share my experience on the day a black man became president.

CHANGE HAS COME AMERICA!!!



After leaving campus the magnitude of the moment continued to build up inside of me so, I turned on the cam again while I drove to share my message of hope for the future for myself and this transcendent country .
Yes we can!!

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Rejected by Senate Burris remains optimistic

CAPITOL HILL - The lame-duck appointee and would be junior senator from Illinois, Roland W. Burris arrived on Capitol Hill today and was shown the hand
by the secretary of the Senate, Nancy Erickson. Her rejection prohibited Burris from being seated in the United States Senate.

Mr. Burris has been facing mostly Democratic opposition since he was nominated by embattled Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich on December 30, 2008.

The New York Times reported in their online edition today, Illinois secretary of state, Jesse White, has refused to sign, saying the appointment is invalid because of a federal corruption investigation surrounding the governor and what prosecutors describe as his efforts to sell the Senate seat, vacated by Mr. Obama.


Refusing to accept the denial, Burris marched out of the Senate chambers and proclaimed from across the street before a full-throated media assembly, “Members of the media, my name is Roland Burris, the junior senator from the State of Illinois.” Technically, he has a point but until the cloud of negativity that surrounds Gov. Blagojevich has been settled he will just have to wait outside.

America will be more fit in 2009 thanks to President-Elect Obama

_{Alex Brandon / AP}

DALLAS- As the 2009 New Year continues its dawning, America is continuing a of journey towards change that began in earnest on November 4th, 2008 with the historic landslide electoral college election of Barack Hussein Obama. The newly elected president and athletic father of two will provide a daily reminder to all of us Americans that "active participation" involves getting up from the desk or couch and actually breaking a sweat. "We're a very sports-loving country and it would be unusual if our president in one way or another was not sports connected," said Stephen Hess, a presidential scholar who served in the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations. (Espn.com) With a poor economy and bleak outlook overall domestically many Americans will surely resolve this year to spend less and find ways to reduce our carbon footprint while also shedding some unwanted pounds.


As one should expect of the man who will soon be the leader of the free world, president-elect Obama has a rigorous daily schedule that must include time for his workout or he will not be the cool character that we see behind the microphone during his press conferences. For at least 48 days in a row during and after the campaign, his day has included at least 90 minutes in the gym. An hour and a half, may seem like only a short period of time or an eternity depending on your physical fitness level but, the reward of maintaining a daily work routine is something utterly vital to the success of the youngest elected president of our time.

_{Lawerence Jackson / AP}

His commitment to staying in shape is a testament to his ability to manage stress and maintain a clear mind. As a veteran of the armed forces, I have to respect a man that has the intestinal fortitude that it takes to commit to a daily regime that includes being physically fit. Since my days in the military, working out and staying in shape has always been a way to escape for me as well. It has also assisted with me working through life challenges and also helps me assess the opportunities that lay ahead. I was astonished to find out that president-elect Obama also uses his work out time to reflect and work out the some of his most perplexing life challenges.

Obama, who favors a post-workout snack of a protein bar and organic iced tea, has already disclosed some of his own plans for his new home. He wants to build a full basketball court where he can hold games on the White House grounds, and to maintain his usual routine of exercising at least six days a week.

_{Jae C.Hong/AP}

It's a schedule he started as a 22-year-old student at Columbia University in New York, and it immediately transformed him. In his 1995 autobiography, "Dreams From My Father," Obama said he was a casual drug user and an underachiever until he decided to start running three miles each day. He stopped staying out late, fasted on Sundays and became a voracious reader, spending most of his time alone in his apartment reading classic literature and philosophical texts.

Physical fitness yielded mental fitness, Obama decided, and the two concepts have been married in his mind ever since. (Washingtonpost.com) Let's go America and get in shape for the New Year and beyond!!

REMEMBERING THOSE WHO SERVE...

DALLAS,Texas - Duty, Honor, Country. Veterans Day 2008 is significant to for many reasons. This year our country elected the first African-American a Democrat from Illinois Barack Obama president. Yet on a day reserved long ago to honor those American patriots that have served this great country, our brave servicemen and women are still valiantly fighting two wars on terror on foreign soil paying the ultimate price for our freedoms.



In Nov 1919, President Thomas Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov 11 the first commemoration of Armistice Day. On Oct 8, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed HR-7786, changing Armistice Day to Veteran's Day (Richland Chronicle)

Today, marks the 2021st day since President Bush's "mission accomplished" declaration but still we are no closer to finding Osama Bin Laden or the real culprit's behind 9/11 nor ending war on terror in America or the world. Hopefully, with the historic electoral college landslide presidential election, real change will finally arrive in Washington and we will find a way to end the war in Iraq victoriously while regaining our foothold in Afghanistan to root out Bin Laden, bring peace to the Middle East and bring our troops home!

I recently had the privilege of taking my son to visit the Vietnam Memorial in historic Fair Park.
I could not help but feel a special sense of pride watching him absorb a little of the historical significance of Veteran's Day while reflecting in the memorial's reflecting pool. Those of us who have served share a special bond that will never be broken. I wanted to take this moment to say thank you my brothers and sisters in arms and wish them and their families well during and throughout the holiday season. Your sacrifice and dedication to duty, honor, and country will be grossly under repaid but never forgotten.

Photos by: Reggie "Lockdawg" Lockhart

THERE AINT NO FUTURE IN YA FRONTIN!! OBAMA 338- McCAIN155

DALLAS- At precisely 11 pm eastern time it was announced to the world that Democratic nominee Barack Obama would be the winner of the 2008 United States presidential election. For the first time in modern American history, an African-American (bi-racial, whatever we know what colors the coffee) will take the highest office in the land. The face of America has changed forever.

Mama, we made it!!

Everyone in the world take notice, the world is not coming to an end

CONGRATULATIONS AMERICA!!!!

His opponent Republican nominee Senator John McCain had just finished up his concession speech to a live Republican audience when the feelings of being a part of something truly historic struck me. Not since the re-election of Bill Clinton in 1996 have I been so involved and personally connected to a presidential election. Euphoria is the best way to describe the compulsive emotion that is driving my fingers in their fevered typing spree. The next chapters of this country's majestic fantasy of the American dream will be lived out in live and living color.

"YES WE CAN!!"

A black man is going to lead the United States of America the leader of the free world. He will face enormous pressures starting first with the bleak economy. We will all be watching with so many watchful and hopeful eyes as he takes the reins of the country on inauguration day. In what has been depicted by many noted economists as the worst economic period since the Great Depression (remember "when America sneezes the world gets a cold") we will send in the youngest American president to bring about the promise of change that got him elected. But we must practice patience. Rome wasn't built in day. Only burnt in one day!!


YES WE DID!!Going against the grain won't be easy. Together, we will take many steps as a society over the next few years as the barriers of color, race, religion, and sex all began to break and be reborn. This pleasant sensation that is overwhelmingly swinging throughout me is fantastically significant as President-elect Obama, prepares to lead the greatest country in the world.


YES WE DID!!The reaction and emotion to this historic night will last a lifetime and will be written by many for ages the to come. This feeling of pride will be felt by the greater many of us Americans great and small, as we begin the real transition forward into the future. The "city on the hill" that Ronald Reagan spoke so eloquently about in the past has returned to it's greater history and chosen this time to be a "maverick".

YES WE DID!!The chains of slavery have officially been broken and the sourness of Jim Crow turned bittersweet. No longer will those old hateful images which portrayed an America, still in it's infancy during the turbulent 1960s, define this country. On this historic night, I am the proudest that I have ever been of my country. Get ready world, at this very moment we all are confidently stepping into the next millennium of life.


President-elect Barack Obama addresses the nation:

The Closing Argument.

Barack Obama takes the stage with former President Bill Clinton at a campaign rally in Kissimmee, Florida. (Reuters Graphic / Jason Reed)

FLORIDA - Democratic nominee Barack Obama "palled around with a President" last night after he delivered what some of his campaign staff have dubbed "The Closing Argument" to America. The night definitely belonged to the Democratic nominee. With his opponent reeling due to a poor stance on the economy, a cash strapped campaign and infighting among members of the rank and file of the Republican party, Sen Obama went on a full press the attack with former President Bill Clinton at his side in the battle ground state of Florida.

Some say that the nationally televised ad, had the production value of a major motion picture and did little to show that he is ready to be president. To those people I can only ask them,"just what in the world were you watching last night?"

Admittedly, I must note that the televised ad was visual masterpiece. The warmth and patriotic symbolism could not have been more professionally orchestrated and sincere. Featuring several touching life accounts from real Americans, like Rebecca Johnston whose middle class family is finding harder and harder to make ends meet because of rising healthcare and food costs. Or Larry and Juanita Stuart, a retired family in Ohio who have had to take a loan on their home to their pay medial bills. Their stories helped him to reaffirm his plans to revitalize the economy by putting the working middle-class first and fixing the broken healthcare system.

Sen Obama's Republican adversary, Sen John McCain was expectedly critical of Obama reminding all of the broken promise to use only public financing to fund his campagin. "When you're watching this gauzy, feel-good commercial, just remember that it was paid for with broken promises," said McCain. (Boston Globe)

There are only 5 days left until the election and early voting ends this Friday on Halloween. I don't know if he closed the deal last night but, he definitely provided a beacon of hope to those of us in this country that really want change!!

The chance of a lifetime...

ATLANTA, Georgia - Ann Nixon Cooper, 106 years old, lived during a time when blacks and women did not have the right to vote. Now she relishes the opportunity to vote for the first African American presidential nominee, Barack Obama. She proudly boasts that she is ready to see the first black president. "I ain't got time to die," she said.

Ms. Cooper and her late husband Dr. Albert Cooper have always been involved in the black social movements of the time. "Our days and nights were just social affairs," she said. The home was a center of Atlanta's black society and the scene of many parties. Celebrities, including the late singer Nat King Cole, dropped in to visit.

The road to the White House is still a long winding perilous journey filled with uncertainty and Ms. Cooper was poignant in pointing out the significance of the Obama nomination. "Even if he didn't win, I was happy for him just to be nominated," said the former socialite. "

With her usual eloquence and grace she gleefully voted early this year for her candidate. She offers to young people some very sound advice for happy living.

"Keep smiling. No matter what, you get out and vote. Vote your choice."


Read the full story at: Cnn.com

POLITICAL FANATICS MUST BE STOPPED!!

They done up and done it now!!!! Well at least "this one" has.


Ashely Todd a Republican college student, McCain supporter and resident psycho, concocted a whale of tale that has pulled the McCain campaign down to new depths and opened some very old American race wounds. In the sick sad spirit of the lynching of Emmett Till or the absurd claim lobbed by Susan Smith, Todd proclaimed to police and on the internet that a large African American Obama supporter had mugged her.

Not only did he steal the $60 she had just gotten out of the ATM in a rough Pittsburgh neighborhood, he also punched and kicked her a couple of times before carving a backwards "B" in her face. And why did she say that it happened, because she had a McCain/Palin bumper sticker on her car.

Guess what? She confessed... IT WAS ALL FRIGGING LIE!! A disgusting, revolting, race dividing lie.

Is this really how you want to be remembered? Do you really want the record to show that you were so afraid that your candidate had no chance to win that you would resort to this sort of vile racist tactic? I was so shocked and repulsed by this report. The fact that it has gotten so much time on mainstream television just makes things worse.

With only 11 days left you have to know that we've only touched the surface. The claims will become more egregious. But as we inch closer to history be not afraid they won't get this one like they did in 2000. Be not intimidated. Carry on the fight until the end. We must not be deterred by their hate. Our focus must remain sound and just. Keep the hope alive!! We will get the change that we need. GO OBAMA!!! GO BIDEN!!!

15 days to go.... Obama gets Colin Powell's endorsement

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Once thought by many as the odds on favorite to become the first African American president of the United States former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell crosses party lines and officially endorsed Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama for president on Meet the Press Sunday morning.

Gen Powell's endorsement is a major coup for Sen. Obama's campaign and another tough blow to Sen. McCain's. The former Secretary of State gave a very loquacious tongue lashing to the Republican party over the negative tone of the McCain campaign and he was also very disapproving of the choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for vice-president.

Investor worries increase on Wall Street, Candidates scramble to show economic prowess to Main Street

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., right, and Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., shake hands before the start of the town hall-style presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008 (AP Photo/Jim Bourg, Pool)

As fears of a global recession continue to rock Wall Street and domestic worries about the economy grow, both candidates are now focused on the economy more and more on the campaign trail.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Thursday said rival John McCain's mortgage rescue plan "punishes" taxpayers and rewards lending institutions that created the crisis, while McCain charged that his opponent's response showed a lack of concern for homeowners.

"He's opposed to us helping the homeowners of America," McCain said. "Do you want to help the homeowners of America, or do you want to help Wall Street? That's the question here." (washingtonpost.com)

Obama was steadfast in his disagreement of McCain's new 300 billion dollar plan for the government to buy up distressed home mortgages.

"Banks wouldn't take a loss, but taxpayers would take a loss," he said. "It's a plan that would guarantee that you, the American taxpayers, would lose by handing over $300 billion to underwrite the kind of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street that got us into this mess." (washingtonpost.com)

Tuesday night's debate in Tennessee did little if anything to help bolster support for either campaign. Most analysts say that Sen. Obama actually won the debate but not by a wide enough margin to win the hearts and minds of those undecided voters. Hopefully, the final debate on domestic policy next week at Hofstra University, will provide a brighter glimpse of what the next presidential administration will be like for the next four years. With only 24 days left until we decide the presidency, regardless of which candidate actually wins the race for the White House, the current economic and domestic outlook may cause the winner to actually envy the loser.

PERFECTLY SYMMETRIC

DENVER - On August 28, 1963 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his memorable "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Washington Monument and he proclaimed that one day, we would live in a world where we would be judged not by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.




"I accept your nomination for presidency of the United States."

Fast forward to August 28, 2008, 45 years later Dr. King's vision has taken form in a way that many Americans young and old never could have imagined seeing in this country. A black man has accepted the nomination for President of a major American political party. The history of tonight's nomination by the Democratic party has penned a mighty stroke toward fulfilling once and for all the promise that we are all equal, regardless of our race.

"ENOUGH"

"This moment, this election is our chance to keep (in the 21st Century) the American promise alive. On Nov 4, we must stand up and say that eight is enough" Obama says to thunderous applause.

How can we elect John McCain who said, "We've become a nation of whiners"? He has voted with President Bush 90 % of the time. This man a POW and Vietnam veteran, if elected would continue the failed Bush tax cuts and continue the war in Iraq for an indefinite time. As an Army veteran I am strongly against the war in Iraq and liken it to the Vietnam failure but I am encouraged that Barrack as President, will bring our troops home and before we face the same failure in Iraq. There is no reason we should have our service members endure unnecessary harm and separation from their families for a war on terrorism, in a country that did nothing to harm America.

Let's get real people we need, no we yearn and thirst for change.

"CHANGE"

"We can't meet 21st century challenges with 20th century bureaucracy."

Barack quoted his grandfather comment after seeing astronauts go to the moon and returned back to earth. He said "Americans, we can do anything if we put our minds to it" and if elected Barack Obama promises he will do just that. He says, "I will stop giving tax credits to companies that send jobs away from America and start giving them to companies that create jobs in our country and I will lower the taxes of middle-class Americans by 75%, create 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced, to invest in early child hood education and recruit an army of new teachers and pay them higher wages."

I don't know about you but that is what I call change for the better.



I'm overjoyed to have had the opportunity to witness such grand black American history in my lifetime with my children. Their America, thankfully has been much different than the America of the turbulent 1960's when Dr. King gave his famous speech. But the profoundness of this occasion was too important to me to let them to miss it and I had them sit and bear witness to the symmetry of this evening with me. Their appreciation of the history was low despite my explanations of Dr. King's dream speech and Barack's accepting the nomination on the anniversary of the speech given 45 years ago. Still it gives me such a feeling of pride to see my country grow and finally begin to tear down the racism of our society and our past. Now we are seizing the moment to change Washington by bringing change to Washington, a black man. Although the prospect of it all seems like I'm dreaming but Martin, I know you're up there in heaven smiling down on us tonight as your dream inspired the people of this country to dream and tonight we took a major step toward realizing your dream of equality.