of our wealth， but from the enduring power of our ideals： democracy， liberty， opportunity， and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery； a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky； when someone like her couldn t vote for two reasons because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight， I think about all that she s seen throughout her century in America the heartache and the hope； the struggle and the progress； the times we were told that we can t， and the people who pressed on with that American creed： Yes we can.

At a time when women s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed， she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land， she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal， new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world， she was