Audacity of Hope Passage
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Middle Aged (35-54)Accents
North American (General) North American (US Mid-Atlantic)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
the day after Pearl Harbor, my grandfather signed up for duty, joined Patton's army, marched across Europe. Back home. My grandmother raised the baby and went toe work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G I. Bill bought a house through FHK and later moved west all the way to Hawaii in search of opportunity. And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream born of two continents. My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name Barack or blessed believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined. They imagine 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're both passed away now, and yet I know that on this night they look down on me with great pride. They stand here, and I stand here today grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents dreams live on, and my two precious daughters 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 and no other country on Earth is my story even possible.