The struggles of working women and families across America aren't new to any of us. And they're certainly not new to Barack. Growing up, he saw his mother--a young single mom who was only eighteen when he was born--put herself through school while raising him and his sister. He saw her struggle to pay the bills--even going on food stamps at one point. And in her final months, when she was sick with cancer, she was as worried about paying her medical bills as she was about getting well. Barack saw his grandmother--the primary breadwinner for his family--work her way up at a bank. But he also saw how, despite her hard work and abilities, she hit a glass ceiling and watched lesser-qualified men pass her on the race to the top. And he sees me, his wife, trying to juggle jobs and raise kids, often feeling like when I'm with the kids, I'm shortchanging work. And when I'm at work or on the campaign trail, I'm shortchanging the kids. I know you all understand this guilt. Barack understands it too--because the women he loves most in the world have gone through it. That's why he carries our stories--and the stories of women he's met all across America--with him every day. And that's why as President, Barack will change Washington so that instead of just talking about family values; we actually have policies that value families.
Forty-five years ago, more than a quarter of a million people gathered in our nation's capital for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. They stood under the blazing sun and listened to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as he lifted our sights and our hearts with his dream for our nation. … On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that day, Dr. King told us, "1963 is not an end, but a beginning." And his speech did mark the beginning of a powerful journey for our nation. It launched a thousand individual journeys as well--as men and women stood up and seized new opportunities to pursue their dreams and make the most of their God-given talents. Today, we are all here as part of another improbable journey--one that began 19 months ago, on a clear February day, when we joined my husband Barack Obama on the long road that has brought us to this moment. And tonight, we will make history again--when Barack Obama accepts our nomination to be the next president of the United States. But just as August 28, 1963 was not an end, but a beginning--August 28, 2008 is not an end. We still have a long road ahead of us. And our journey doesn't end on Election Day, either. That day is just another beginning as well. Because we are still far from achieving Dr. King's dream of equality and opportunity for all Americans.
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