"I’m here because of Ashley."
Last night I finally found the time to sit quietly and read the entire text of Barack Obama’s March 18, 2008, speech, A More Perfect Union. Having heard snippets of it aired by the media over the last couple of days, I already knew that it was delivered with Obama’s singularly powerful oratorical skill. He eloquently and effectively delivers with the same style as Dr. Martin Luther King, a passionate style that captivates an audience with deliberate, methodical rhythm and repetition. The effect is indeed powerful and convincing. Not all leaders have this ability, but all truly great leaders are masters of oratory. They use their talents to persuade and motivate people to dream, to hope, to achieve. Barack Obama is such a leader.
The short clips I have seen and heard do not do justice to the power or intent of Obama’s speech on race. As I read the full text, I caught myself frequently nodding agreement, tensing when the truth cut too close to home, and frowning when confronted with the ugly reality that in 2008 there still exists in the United States of America, a deep dark chasm separating what we say we believe from the way we live. Being a 60-something white male who spent an important part of my life working for equality of opportunity for my black, brown, yellow, and red brothers and sisters, I know, for I have seen, how very far we have come in the last generation. And it rips at the core of who I am to know that we still have so very far to go. But I have hope…
Barack Obama’s campaign to become the Democratic nominee for President of the United States is, in and of itself, a living proof of the changes that have occurred in the fabric of American culture over the last few decades. The racially charged slurs and attacks on him confirm that we have so very much left to accomplish. The broad based support of Obama’s campaign signals hope that we are on the right track. The promise of his campaign is unity. The message of his campaign is hope…
Concluding his speech is a vignette about a young white woman named Ashley. I do not want to deny you the emotional impact of that story, except to say that my chosen title was a remark made by an elderly black man in response to the question of why he attended an organizational meeting in support of Barack Obama. I’m here because of Ashley. I urge you to read the entire text of Obama’s defining and historic speech. By the end you may shed a tear or two. I did…
Barack Obama gives me hope…
7 Comments so far
[...] minutes to go, but just couldn&39t wedge the puck under Duluth goalie Kim Martin. …www.fosters.com"I??m here because of Ashley." Last night I finally found the time to sit quietly and read the entire text of Barack Obama??s [...]
“Barack and Roll,” Winston.
[Comment deleted by Winston.]
A tear or two….and a few more. What an amazing, inspirational speech. I made a copy of it the other day and have read it over a couple of times…and HOPE is exactly what I get out of it.
i hope americans can see this for the potential we have for all of us. We have a chance to change it all and it’s in him, not in any of the others. Nobody else can change the game like he can. I just hope for the best here
What I found so impressive about his speech was its utter honesty as expressed through its nuances–finding the shades of grey, as it were, in this black-and-white issue.
Its honesty–and its courage. He may have felt compelled to deliver it out of a particular circumstance, but what he says in it went far beyond that particular particular to say things that, at least in my lifetime, I’ve never heard a candidate for office (or maybe even an office-holder) say before. I’m pretty sure I was breathing as I read it, but it felt as though I was holding my breath the whole time.
I thank you for urging me to read this. I had heard about this “great speech” and I kind of thought that well, people are so used to hearing the current president’s “speeches” that they think pretty much anything is great.
But on your urging, I looked. And it did bring tears and hope. And a new resolve as far as who I believe to be the candidate who can make things happen.
Wow.