On the 45th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia set the stage by stating that “We prove that a dream still burns in the hearts of every American, that this dream was too right, too necessary, too noble to ever die.”

Senator Barack Obama delivered the speech that he needed to deliver last night.  He looked like the President of the United States standing at that podium.  He spoke about big themes but also laid out a plan for America’s future.  He clearly is ready to lead us forward and I am ready to do whatever I can to get him there.

I was touched by the speech but even more touched by the reactions of some of my fellow North Carolina delegates.  I watched the African American delegates who had participated in the Civil Rights Movement before I was even born see the culmination of their dreams come true.

There were tears in their eyes as Senator Obama spoke his first words accepting the nomination for President of the United States.

I was there to witness history last night, but the real work begins now.

This campaign is going to be hard fought from the grassroots to the grasstops.  People are energized, people are voting for the first time and people are participating in our great democracy.