Poem Recited at the Democratic National Convention, Chicago, 21 August 2024
"This Sacred Scene"
We gather at this hallowed place because we believe in the American dream. We face a race that tests if this country we cherish shall perish from the earth and if our earth shall perish from this country.
It falls to us to ensure that we do not fall for a people that cannot stand together, cannot stand at all. We are one family regardless of religion, class, or color. For what defines a patriot is not just our love of liberty but our love for one another.
This is loud in our country's call because while we all love freedom, it is love that frees us all.
Empathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity. That is the American promise, powerful and pure. Divided, we cannot endure but united we can endeavor to humanize our democracy and endear democracy to humanity.
And make no mistake, cohering is the hardest task history ever wrote. But tomorrow is not ridden by our odds of hardship but by the audacity of our hope, by the vitality of our vote.
Only now approaching this rare air are we aware that, perhaps, the American dream is no dream at all but instead a dare to dream together.
Like a million roots tethered, branching up humbly, making one tree, this is our country from many won, from battles won, our freedoms sung, our kingdom come has just begun.
We redeem this sacred scene ready for our journey from it. Together, we must birth this early republic and achieve an unearthly summit. Let us not just believe in the American dream, let us be worthy of it.
Sources
Video: PBS NewsHour, https://youtu.be/Ek_rdp0d6w8.
Transcript: CNN Live Transcripts, https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/se/date/2024-08-21/segment/03.