Obama's Victory Speech in Chicago, Illinois

Today we see the fulfillment of Dr. King's dream. Today we witness history. We have a long way to go to restore ourselves in the international community, to restore all that has been lost to find a better way. I am proud of how far the United States has come. Still, we have to have more than the desire, we have to take action and realize it will not just be handed to us.

On this day, we finally see what it means to believe again. Change will not be easy, it will be a reaching out to each other for what really does matter is the value of each other. This is a new era, an era that isn't about the material...but an era that wakes us up to the hope that we see when we look at each other with new eyes.

People matter. And though I am here in South Korea, I could not be happier with the direction I see my home country taking. Let there be peace. Let there be hope. Let there be a new beginning.