President Barack Obama

"Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shamed about, memories more accessible than those of ancient Egypt, memories that all people might study and cherish - and with which we could start to rebuild.

...I also felt for the first time how that spirit carried within it, nascent, incomplete, the possibility of moving beyond our narrow dreams. The audacity of hope! I still remember my grandmother singing in the house, 'There's a bright side somewhere... don't rest till you find it...' "

- Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama, p. 294