My confidence began to grow.
“The history of humanity has been a constant struggle to rise above what kept us down. When gravity kept us down, we rose above it with airplanes and spaceships. When ignorance kept us down, we rose above it with knowledge. When conflict kept us down, we rose above it with understanding. And when oppression kept us down, we rose above it with justice.”
Energy surged through me. It was as though the Great Eight were standing in the chamber with me, cheering me on. My voice grew louder and more animated.
“I won’t pretend it was ever easy. It was always a process of trial and error. It was always three steps forward, two steps back. It always took terrible sacrifices. But in the end, we always rose.
“And I stand before you today and say: here, too, we will ris
