So voting was mandatory in my family.

My grandmother made it very clear that it was a debt that we owed to older generations

and to our ancestors.

So it was just a given.

There was no thought about it.

It was like breathing.

You were going to vote or you were going to have problems with my grandmother and nobody

wanted problems with grandma.

And I carried on that tradition.

There are studies out there that show clearly that if you involve young people in the process really early,

they'll carry it on into adulthood.

And so I am one of those that carried it carried the tradition of voting on into adulthood.

And it wasn't that my family was particularly as politically active as I am, as my son got the benefit of seeing me be and his father be active in the electoral process.

I remember my father did tell a story about my mom and him passing out leaflets for Mr. Stokes,

Carl B. Stokes, who became the first black mayor of a major city.

I can find no more fitting way to end this appeal by saying to all of you in the most serious and in the most meaningful way that I can

that truly never before have I ever known to the extent that I know tonight the full meaning of the words

God bless America.

So Cleveland, I mean, in a way, yes, it was mandatory because my grandmother said so, but it was mandatory because of the historic importance of Cleveland, Ohio, the spark

of cementing that black people could lead

a major city. All of that started in Cleveland, Ohio. I would like to think that the journey,

the path, and that was in the late 60s, the path of strong black electoral politics started

...