something wonderfully magical is in the air isn't it yeah you know we're feeling it here in this Arena but it's spreading all across this country we love a familiar feeling that's been buried too deep for far too long you know what I'm talking about it's the contagious power of Hope the anticipation the energy the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day the chance to Vanquish the Demons of fear Division and hate that have consumed us and continue pursuing The Unfinished promise of this great nation the dream that our parents and grandparents fought and died and sacrificed for America hope is making a comeback yeah to be honest I am realizing that until recently I have mourned the dimming of that hope and maybe you've experienced the same feelings is that deep pit in my stomach a palpable sense of dread about the future and for me that mourning has also been mixed with my own personal grief the last time I was here in my hometown was to memorialize my mother the woman who showed me the meaning of hard work and humility and decency the woman who set my moral compass high and showed me the power of my own voice folks I still feel her loss so profoundly I wasn't even sure if I'd Be steady enough to stand before you tonight but my heart compelled me to be here because of the sense I of Duty that I feel to honor her memory and and to and to remind us all not to squander the sacrifices our elders made to give us a better future you see my mom in her steady quiet way lived out that striving sense of hope every single day of her her life she believed that all children all all people have value that anyone can succeed have given the opportunity she and my father didn't aspire to be wealthy in fact they were suspicious of folks who took more than they needed they understood that it wasn't enough for their kids to thrive if everyone else around us was drown ing so my mother volunteered at the local school she she always looked out for the other Kids on the Block she was glad to do the thankless unglamorous work that for Generations has strengthened the fabric of this nation the belief that if you do unto others if you love thy neighbor if you work and scrape and sacrifice it will pay off if not for you then maybe for your children or your grandchildren you see those values have been passed on through Family Farms and Factory towns through Treeline streets and crowded tenements through prayer groups and National Guard units and social studies classrooms those were the values my mother poured into me until her very last breath breath kamla Harris and I built our lives on those same foundational values even though our mothers grew up an ocean apart they shared the same belief in the promise of this country that's why her mother moved here from India at 19 it's why she taught kamla about Justice about the obligation to live lift others up about our responsibility to give more than we take she'd often tell her daughter don't sit around and complain about things do something so with that voice in her head kamla went out and she worked hard in school graduating from an HBCU earning her law degree at a state school and then she went on to work for the people fighting to hold law Breakers accountable strengthening the rule of law fighting to get folks better wages cheaper prescription drugs a good education decent Health Care Child Care Elder Care from a middle class household kamla worked her way up to become Vice President of the United States of America my girl kamla Harris is more than ready for this moment she is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency and she is one of the most dignified a tribute to her mother to my mother and to your mother too the embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country her story is your story it's my story it's the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life for years Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us see his his limited narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking Highly Educated successful people who happen to be black wait I I I want to know I want to know who's going to tell him who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs look it's his same old con his same old con doubling down on ugly misogynistic racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and Sol solutions that will actually make people's lives better we cannot be our own worst enemies no see cuz the minute something goes wrong the minute a lie takes hold folks we cannot start ringing our hands we cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right and we cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like kamla instead of doing everything we can to get someone like kamla elected kamla and Tim they have lived amazing lives and I I am confident that they will lead with compassion inclusion and Grace but they are still only human they are not perfect and like all of us they will make mistakes but luckily y'all this is not just on them Noah uh-uh this is up to us all of us to be the solution that we seek it's up to all of us to be the an to the darkness and division look I don't care how you identify politically whether you're Democrat Republican independent or none of the above this is our time to stand up for what we know in our hearts is right to stand up not just for our basic freedoms but for decency and Humanity for basic respect dignity and empathy for the values at the very Foundation of this democracy it's up to us to remember what kamla's mother told her don't just sit around and complain do something so if they lie about her and they will we've got to do something if we see a bad poll and we will we got to put down that phone and do do something if we start feeling tired if we start feeling that dread creeping back in we got to pick ourselves up throw water on our face and what I I am feeling ready to go even if even if I am the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama [Applause]