l war and civil disobedience and always at great risk … to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time。
This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign … to continue the long march of those who came before us； a march for a more just； more equal； more free； more caring and more prosperous America。 I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together … unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories； but we hold mon hopes； that we may not look the same and we may not have e from the same place； but we all want to move in the same direction … towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren。
This belief es from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people。 But it also es from my own American story。
I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas。 I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas。 I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations。 I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners … an inheritance we pass on to our two pre