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Those stories - of survival, and freedom, and hope - became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam.
Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time. That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people.
But I think they also sensed that a part of me remained removed and detached - that I was an observer in their midst. Although I believe that the Iraqi people are ultimately better off without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible.
At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either "too black" or "not black enough." We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need. It's a faith in other people, and it's what brought me here today.
My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. That's not what I'm talking about. The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. We are the party of Roosevelt. The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known.
Thank you, and God bless America.