There was a picture tonight from Grant Park that was particularly meaningful to me. It was a picture of a little girl sitting on her Daddy's shoulders, waving a flag.

When I was about her age, an African-American family tried to move into our town. A suburb right outside of Chicago. Some people got so riled up, they physically pushed the family's furniture out of a second story window and set it on fire. My father took me to see, ignoring my mother's arguments. There was a crowd there, so he put me on his shoulders to give me a good view. I remember being afraid for those people. I remember the woman crying. And I cried.

Then my father said, "I want you to see this because I don't ever, EVER want you to treat another human being like this because of the color of their skin." That image was burned into my mind forever. It was a tall lesson at a very young age, but I learned it well.

When I saw that little girl on her father's shoulders tonight, smiling, looking with wonder and joy, I thought -- Wow, she's in a better world than I came from. I felt such joy for her. And I felt so proud of our country tonight. God has blessed America, but I'll ask again. May God Bless America and President-Elect Obama.