President Barack Obama’s speech at Selma marking ‘Bloody Sunday’ anniversary — The Washington Post:
That’s what America is. Not stock photos or airbrushed history or feeble attempts to define some of us as more American as others. We respect the past, but we don’t pine for it. We don’t fear the future; we grab for it. America is not some fragile thing; we are large, in the words of Whitman, containing multitudes. We are boisterous and diverse and full of energy, perpetually young in spirit.
…
the single most powerful word in our democracy is the word “We.” We The People. We Shall Overcome. Yes We Can. It is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given, to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.
I miss that man. I miss his leadership, grace, and intellect. Mostly, I miss that he led by uplift and encouragement, with a vision for bending the arc of history toward justice.
How far we have fallen in so short a time. We can and will do better. That’s America, too.
Happy 242nd Fourth of July.
#BarackObama #Selma #America #FourthofJuly
A Random Stroll 