first lady of virginia is here tonight with us. thank you. [applause] many of you know that gayle had a long and successful journalism career before she turned her sights to monticello. she came to us in 2016. and it is my delight to welcome her tonight as a colleague, but more importantly as an honored speaker. a common refrain in gayle s book, and i quote, is giving voice to the ancestors. and she does that of course, by telling their stories. she describes herself as, and i quote, a woman whose voice is used as an instrument. not for herself, but for those written out in history. a woman who, after a lifelong journey, found her family, her home, her purpose. and quote. in part it was because of monticello its work to find and learn of the descendants of its enslaved community in a project called get where she found more of her story. her courage is telling of her story and that of her family provides an inspiration to all of us. and of course, gayle s book includes the w