What is hope?
Is it an idea of a reality that’s somehow attainable and unreachable at the same time?
Eight years ago we were driven by that word and we continue to reach for the truth behind it regardless of the absence of the man who inspired us to believe in it.
A singular word got us up from our chairs and put smiles on our faces. One word gave us the power to be ourselves, to be daring and driven. We achieved a lot because we began to understand what hope really meant. We fought a multitude of battles and in return, we gained a strength between us-binding and powerful.
If you don’t know what hope means, don’t look it up in a dictionary, instead look outside. Witness the people in the street holding up sign and chanting, singing, standing together. Look out at the sea of those who care about the person next to them, even if they just met. The high school and college students working, fighting for their future, alongside yours. Their eyes set forward, regardless of the actions of the past that rest behind them.
Hope isn’t a simple four letter word. Hope is the future– the fight for a just and equitable one. For the last eight years, we were motivated and pushed by our president to embody the ideals of our country and step up for the injustices that rained on our lives each and every day. The evident disparity, divide and damage we continue to look to change today.
To have faith, to be grateful and above all, to dedicate our lives to being powerful in the spirit of looking forward. We know the challenges ahead, we know who our challengers are and we’re fully capable of trumping their self-proclaimed glory.
In the years to come, what we do with the word hope is not that important, but what we do for each other is. We're all capable of change no matter how old we are, where we come from or what we believe in. It's our trust in hope that moves us along.
"So regardless of the station we occupy; we have to try harder; to start with the premise that each of our fellow citizens loves this country just as much as we do; that they value hard work and family like we do; that their children are just as curious and hopeful and worthy of love as our own." -Barack Obama
