The Audacity of Hope

Less than 150 years ago, there was still slavery in America. 80 years ago, there were over 6 million members of the racist Ku Klux Klan. 36 years ago, there was still racial segregation.

Just 45 years ago Martin Luther King delivered his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech which included: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

The dream came true. On Tuesday 4th November 2008, Senator Barack Obama was elected the first black President of the United States, the most powerful position on the planet.

In 2006, Obama wrote the book ‘The Audacity of Hope’, the title taken from a sermon he had heard. This is what he says:

‘I'm not talking about blind optimism here……….. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores;…… the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!’