America In The Twilight Zone by Russell Simmons

It was a bitter cold night in Grant Park in downtown Chicago on November 4th, 2008, but tens of thousands of people waited in the frigid weather to hear the victory speech of our 44th President, Barack Obama. Millions of people in this nation and around the world, including myself, were glued to the television to see how he would inspire us to come together after a very contentious battle with Senator John McCain.

These words, in particular, have stayed with me for almost two years, as I believe they are words that define the very essence of who our President is:

“And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.”