The Story of Her - Nov. 8, 2016

CLINTON: My mother Dorothy was abandoned by her parents as a young girl. She ended up on her own at 14, working as a housemaid. She was saved by the kindness of others. The lesson she passed on to me stuck with me: No one gets through life alone. And she made sure I learned the words from our Methodist faith: Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can. So I went to work for the Children's Defense Fund, going door to door on behalf of children with disabilities who were denied the chance to go to school. I went to South Carolina to investigate the plight of 12-and 13-year-old boys imprisoned alongside grown men who had committed serious felonies. In Alabama, I helped expose the racism of segregated academies. In Arkansas, I ran a legal aid clinic that provided representation to poor families and prison inmates who could not afford it. I've been your First Lady, served eight years as a Senator, then as Secretary of State. But my job titles only tell you what I've done. They don't tell you why. My mother taught me that everybody needs a chance and a champion, and I still hear her voice urging me to keep working, keep fighting for right, no matter what. Human rights are women's right, and gay rights are human rights. I wish my mother could have been with us longer. I wish she could have seen Chelsea become a mother herself. I wish she could have seen the America we're going to build together. An America where a father can tell his daughter, yes, you can be anything you want to be, even President of the United States. It's a simple but powerful idea: We believe that we are stronger together. To be great we cannot be small. We have to be as big as the values that define America. And we are a big-hearted, fair-minded country. We teach our children that we are one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Not just for people who look a certain way, or worship a certain way, or love a certain way. For all. Indivisible. As I look at American history, I see that this has always been a country of “we” not “me”. Ever since thirteen squabbling colonies put aside their disagreements and united. Because they realized they were going to rise together or fall separately.

EMILY: What are you going to do about all of this bullying?

CLINTON: This election really is about who we are as a nation.

MAN: I care about people with disabilities.

CLINTON: It's about millions of Americans coming together to say we are better than this. We won't let this happen in America.

GIRL: I'm scared that my parents will get deported.

CLINTON: Here, come here, babe! I'll do everything I can, and I'll fight for you as hard as I can. And if you agree, whether you're a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, I hope you will join us. If you believe diversity is America's strength, not America's burden—join us. Black Lives Matter. If you believe that minimum wage should be a living wage—join us. I you believe that no one working full-time should have to raise their children in poverty—join us. If you believe that climate change is real—join us. We will defend all out rights: civil rights, human rights, voting rights, women's rights, and worker's rights, LGBT rights, and the rights of people with disabilities. If you believe that every man, woman, and child in America has the right to affordable quality health care—join us. If you believe that we should finally guarantee equal pay for women—join us. Yes, the world is watching what we do. Yes, America's destiny is ours to choose. So let's be stronger together my fellow Americans! Let's look to the future with courage and confidence! Let's build a better tomorrow for our beloved children and our beloved country! And when we do, America will be greater than ever!