It is absolutely remarkable and striking how unifying both feelings and emotions can be. We can come from different countries, from different backgrounds, from different experiences, and from different standpoints. We can speak different languages and interpret behaviors differently. However, one emotion, one action, can erase all apparent boundaries and barriers and can create an opportunity for connection. Passion, love, hope, faith, support, pride, frustration, and despair are just some of the universal expressions that we recognize in any other being of the human race. These expressions can serve as a reminder that we all have the same equal capabilities to love and to be loved, to despair, to comfort, and to share in hope. Recall the Olympics and how feelings of accomplishment, determination, and pride in one’s country knows no borders.  Suddenly, when we see our expressions in another, every other senseless difference slowly disintegrates.

We recognize the unifying power of emotions today. Forty-five years ago on August 28th 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ever so powerfully and ever so eloquently delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. It was a great demonstration of freedom and an exaltation of hope. You must be ignorant or blind to NOT see the passion, emotions, and significance of this great event in history. If you watch the video of King’s speech, you will witness a great movement and effort in history. Dr. King and those present at his speech displayed the same expressions we all share when we are standing up or fighting for what we believe in. It is and was a truly beautiful thing in history. We can see the frustration, the hope, and the “soul force” from the voice and eyes of Dr. King as his speech climaxes into a proclamation of his dreams.

August 28th, 1963 embodies what the You movement can be about. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one person who made his own movement. His movement was one that reverberates throughout history. He stood up for justice, for others, for the betterment of our world. The point is that if we can recognize the emotions and passion of that day, we can put aside differences and recognize what unites each of us. Once we realize how similar we are, and have a sense of understanding, then we can be more accepting of that which is different from us.

Little did Martin Luther King Jr. know that forty-five years later on this very day, the first African American will accept a presidential nomination. Whether you are a fan of Obama or the opposite, it is impossible to ignore the profound meaning that this has. It speaks for our development as a nation. Dr. King spoke of how 100 years later from the Emancipation Proclamation, there were still injustices and discrimination. Today and perhaps always, we can not say that discrimination has totally disappeared. Although it is unfortunate that it has taken this long to happen, we can say that there has been some progress on the dream King had of living ” in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” The journey from 1963 to now might have been a struggle or full of fight and persistence, but we can now see that King was not speaking of a “dream world” but rather, 2008.

Although a person may not come from an African American descent, we can understand, value, and celebrate the meaning of today. We can recognize the significance of the fact that today changes history just as King dreamt it. Why? We can recognize this because we have the ability to feel the emotions and the passion. We can feel the hard work, faith, hope, and struggle it took to overcome discrimination and criticism of differences. Sure, not everything in our world and country may be perfect right now, but we can recognize the movement. Tonight, as Obama officially accepts the Democratic presidential nomination, we can envision Dr. King smiling bright and we can celebrate a victory for justice.

Tonight is truly a beautiful moment in our nation’s history. Tonight is a truly an inspiration and a testimony for anyone with a dream and a passion. Tonight is about the difference that one person can make.