Let me tell you, Barack and I take that same approach to our jobs as president and first lady because we know that our words and actions matter, not just to our girls but the children across this country. Kids who tell us, "I saw you on TV", "I wrote a report on you for school". Kids like the little black boy who looked up at my husband, his eyes wide with hope, and he wondered, "Is my hair like yours?"
And make no mistake about it, this November, when we get to the polls, that is what we are deciding. Not Democrat or Republican, not left or right. No, in this election, and every election, is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives. And I am here tonight because in this election, there is only one person who I trust with that responsibility, only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be president of the United States, and that is our friend Hillary Clinton.
I trust Hillary to lead this country because I have seen her lifelong devotion to our nation's children. Not just her own daughter, who she has raised to perfection, but every child who needs a champion: kids who take the long way to school to avoid the gangs. Kids who wonder how they will ever afford college. Kids whose parents don't speak a word of English, but dream of a better life; kids who look to us to determine who and what they can be.
Hillary has spent decades doing the relentless, thankless work to actually make a difference in their lives. Advocating for kids with disabilities as a young lawyer, fighting for children's health care as first lady, and for quality child care in the senate.
And when she did not win the nomination eight years ago, she did not get angry or disillusioned. Hillary did not pack up and go home because ... Hillary knows that this is so much bigger than her own desires and disappointments. So, she proudly stepped up to serve our country once again as secretary of state, travelling the globe to keep our kids safe. There were plenty of moments when Hillary could have decided that this work was too hard, that the price of public service was too high, that she was tired of being picked apart for how she looks, or how she talks, or even how she laughs.
But here's the thing: What I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure.
She never takes the easy way out. And Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life. And when I think about the kind of president that I want for my girls and all our children, that is what I want. I want someone with the proven strength to persevere.
Somebody who knows this job and takes it seriously. Somebody who understands that the issues of our nation are not black or white. It cannot be boiled down to 140 characters. Because when you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military in your command, you can't make snap decisions. You can't have a thin skin or a tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well-informed.
I want a president with a record of public service. Someone whose life's work shows our children that we don't chase fame and fortune for ourselves; we fight to give everyone a chance to succeed. And we give back even when we are struggling ourselves because we know that there there is always someone worse off. There but for the grace of God, go I. I want a president who will teach our children that everyone in this country matters.
A president who truly believes in the vision that our founders put forth all those years ago - that we are all created equal, each a beloved part of the great American story. And when crisis hits, we don't turn against each other, we listen to each other. We lean on each other. We are always stronger together. And I am here tonight because I know that that is the kind of president that Hillary Clinton will be and that is why in this election, I'm with her.
You see, Hillary understands that the president is about one thing and one thing only. It's about leaving something better for our kids. That's how we have always moved this country forward - by all of us coming together on behalf of our children. Folks who volunteer to coach the team, teach the Sunday school class, because they know it takes a village.
Heroes of every colour and creed who wear the uniform and risk their lives to keep pass down those blessings of liberty; police officers and protesters in Dallas who all desperately want to keep our children safe; people who lined up in Orlando to donate blood because it could have been their son, their daughter in that club.
Leaders like Tim Kaine, who show our kids what decency and devotion look like. Leaders like Hillary Clinton, who has the guts and the grace to keep coming back and putting those cracks in the highest and hardest glass ceiling until she finally breaks through, lifting all of us along with her.
That is the story of this country. The story that has brought me to the stage tonight. The story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving, and hoping, and doing what needed to be done. So that today, I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves. And I watch my daughters - two beautiful intelligent black young women - playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.
And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all of our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.
Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great. That somehow we need to make it great again. Because this right now is the greatest country on Earth.
Edited excerpts from a speech by Michelle Obama, at the Democratic National Convention, July 26, 2016, in Philadelphia, US
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper
