[applause] i want to get your questions. I want to orient you to who the heck am i. I was raised by two incredible parents. They were civil rights activists. We are who we are as a country because we Work Together and stood together. My dad by the time he was older, the hail was like beach balls falling from the sky. Let me tell you when this tsunami hit my town. I fed, dad, you grew up in the mountains of North Carolina. He said, dont you disrespect me. My dad was born to a single mom in a segregated world. I know my Family History back to slavery was just poverty, poverty, poverty. He would tell me, dont tell people i was poor. Tell them i was po. I could not afford the other two. But he was born in america. My father would tell me that he is who he is because of a conspiracy of love. People not related to him were willing to fight for him. My fathers mom could not take care of him. It was the community who took him in. No college in my familys history. They told him, you are going t
Who the heck am i . Im a man raised by two incredible parents who have seen the worst of america. They were civil rights activist who have seen violence and determination but we are who we are as a country because we came together and understood together and work together. The older i got, the more difficult the stories of childhood work. By the time he was older, beach balls were falling from the sky. Let me tell you when a tsunami hit my time. I honored my father and my mother. My dad was my mom was a single mom. My father would tell me dont people i was poor. I was just poe. Po. My father would tell me he is who he is because of a conspiracy of love. People were not related to him they didnt look like him or pray for him willing to fight for him. My fathers mom was in a community that took him in and no college in my Family History but i told him you will go to college, he will go to school and he couldnt afford it. It was our turn to put a collection plate around. He commanded ther
Thank you for making this happen. Thank you sen. Booker thank you for the opportunity. We have a bunch of eager members. I will introduce you real quick. We will open up questions. Sen. Booker that sounds great. Is that ok . Thats great. [applause] sen. Booker i want to get to your questions. I want to orient you to who the heck am i. I am a kid that was raised by two incredible parents. Who have seen the worst of america. They were civil rights activists. They saw violence and discrimination, but they also saw the best of america and they know we are who we are as a country because we Work Together and stood together. My dad is one of these guys that the older i got, the more difficult the stories of his childhood were. Hes like, son, the hail, when i was young, hale was the size of golf balls. By the time he was older, the hail was like beach balls falling from the sky. Son, let me tell you when this tsunami hit my town. I said, dad, you grew up in the mountains of North Carolina. He
Crying out loud. A, something historical already. Vegan is lining up to hear me speak and sit with you. [laughter] there is always one. How do you know someone is a vegan . Dont worry, we will tell you. [laughter] i got about 19 minutes to speak to you and im looking forward to answering questions. I want to jump right in on the theme of my campaign but more importantly, the theme of my life. I think its the most important theme of this country. Our founders were imperfect geniuses. They enshrined in our founding documents a lot of bigotry and hate. In our decoration of independence they called native americans savages and called women in our founding documents secondclass citizens and blacks were fractions of a human being but that was not the defining character of the country that has endured in the spirit they brought to humanity. They broke with the course of human events and said we would be the first a nation and the oldest constitutional democracy that would not be founded becau
He would often drill this into me. And say just remember leave the woodpile a little higher than you found it. That showed this metaphor because a mill town and a logging town and somebody who had asked to hold. [laughter] but leaving the woodpile a little higher resonated today in these times that we are in because the man in the woodhouse one white house wants nothing more than to burn the woodpile down. So people ask why did i endorse corey so early flex i dont know how many answer. Maybe he was an amazing mayor. Of a tough city in the midst of one of the worst recessions as country has ever seen and came out of it being successful. [applause] maybe its how he has shown such incredible leadership in the United States senate particularly sitting down with folks on the other side with historic criminal justice refor reform. [applause] maybe its about the grit and resilience he demonstrated after decades of service of new jersey politics. Did you know he succeeded a mayor that was an i