If, like me, you are fearful or uncertain of what lies ahead for our country, take a few minutes today and watch—or rewatch—President Obama’s Farewell Address from last night.
This was Obama at his most inspiring. He, like Michelle Obama at the Democratic Convention last year, went high, touting “the peaceful transfer of power from one freely-elected president to the next,” but also reminding us that our democracy will only work “if our politics reflects the decency of the our people. Only if all of us, regardless of our party affiliation or particular interest, help restore the sense of common purpose that we so badly need right now.”
At the same time, we also need “a sense that everyone has economic opportunity” but “if every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hardworking white middle class and undeserving minorities, then workers of all shades will be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclaves. If we decline to invest in the children of immigrants, just because they don’t look like us, we diminish the prospects of our own children — because those brown kids will represent a larger share of America’s workforce.”
He also clearly mentioned LGBT rights, marriage equality, Stonewall, and transgender Americans. In the end, he left us with this charge:
We have to try harder; to start with the premise that each of our fellow citizens loves this country just as much as we do; that they value hard work and family like we do; that their children are just as curious and hopeful and worthy of love as our own.
That’s a tall order—but watch him deliver it, and you might just believe it’s possible.
