I have long felt that the baby boomer generation, my generation, did not fulfill its potential after a promising start in the late 1960s.
Whichever side we were on, we learned who we were and what we wanted our country to be during the Vietnam War. The Beatles were our soundtrack. Apocalypse Now was our reality. Star Trek was our fantasy.
There were some student leaders at the time who spoke about our goals and dreams. This is Hillary Clinton's student speech from Wellesley College from 1969, her graduation commencement address.She spoke for a generation. The baby boomer generation. My generation.
With peace, justice and freedom as a rallying cry, we marched, we sat-in, we loved, we protested. We married and formed families. We fought and some of us died. But eventually we went our separate ways to follow our dreams.
It seemed we were sidetracked in the 1980s and 90s by conservative elements that focused on fears and 7th century foes instead of reaching for the stars. They were intent on limiting our freedoms by their beliefs. Supreme Courts changed and constitutional rights were under attack. The 1990s and 2000s were times of war, a coarsening of the culture, of impeachment, of guns, of terror. of 9/11. Iraq. Abu Ghirab. Al Qaeda. ISIS, elementary school shootings and a fear of the "other".
Darkness.
We've had some successes, albeit limited. Bill Clinton. Barack Obama. It hasn't been easy. For more than 40 years forces of darkness kept us from achieving our generational potential. We still fight the darkness, but now, with Hillary Clinton's candidacy we are one day away from achieving our goal: election day.
In 1992, First Lady, Hillary Clinton returned to Wellesley to give the commencement speech for the second time. Here is a video:
Here is a link to the complete video, carried at the time by c-span.
Whether you've heard Hillary's speeches before or not, please listen again. Her speech is a reminder of what we were seeking then, and a realization of how close we all are to fulfilling our collective potential with her election.
Electing Hillary can bring a revolution. But she'll need two things: our votes and legislators with the vision and wisdom to enact a liberal / progressive agenda. If Hillary is elected but she faces a congress opposed to her every move, then her success and our success will be limited.
Light.
Fortunately, there are more democrats than republicans. If we all vote, we can change the course of America. But we must give Hillary the mantle and the tools to do her job. We then need to follow up, and make sure she pursues the liberal, progressive agenda.
It'll be our day in the sun.
Here comes the sun.
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