A Historic Moment for America

When this nation was founded much of the African American population of the new country was the property of white owners. These slave owners embraced the principles of freedom enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, but they did not see fit to extend them to persons of color.

It was not until 1864, in the midst of a Civil War, that a proclamation was issued that released slaves in the states of the Confederacy (but not all slaves). Still, Blacks were not truly free and would not be truly free for another century.

Forty-five years ago today, in Washington, DC, as the culminating moment of the March on Washington, Martin Luther King gave his famous "I have a Dream" speech. That speech spoke of a new day when people of every race and creed might sit down together in peace. We are still working on that dream. It was but five years later that a gunman took down that messenger of hope for our nation.

Tonight, at Invesco Field, an African American man, the child of an African father and a white mother who hailed from Kansas, will accept the nomination of his party for the presidency of the United States. It is truly a historic moment for our nation. It does not wipe away all the years of struggle, nor does it demonstrate that America has reached the point where the color of one's skin no longer matters. The continued racist sentiment directed toward Barack Obama suggests that we've not reached that moment. However, tonight we make great strides forward. Even if he should fall short, it will not take away from the moment -- even as the fact that Hillary Clinton fell short does not take away from what she accomplished for women in this nation. No longer can anyone say that women or ethnic minorities cannot run and win at the highest levels. We're still on the journey, but the journey has moved forward.

Let us continue living out the dream!

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