Speaker 1 [00:00:00] On behalf of the great State of Illinois. Crossroads of the nation. Land of Lincoln. Let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention tonight as a particular honor for me, because, let’s face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely.
My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant to the British. But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son through hard work and perseverance. My father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.
Unidentified [00:01:01] While studying here, my father met my mother.
Speaker 1 [00:01:05] She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the depression. The day after Pearl Harbor, my grandfather signed up for duty, join Patton’s army, marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised the baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, 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 blessing, believing that in a tolerant America, your name is no barrier to success. They imagine. 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.
Unidentified [00:02:27] They’re both passed away now.
Speaker 1 [00:02:30] And yet I know that on this night, they don’t 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 in 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 in no other country on earth is my story even possible?