A More Perfect Union.

Video, Audio, Transcript: Barack Obama On 'A More Perfect Union'

I voted for Barack Obama in California's primary. It came down to the last day, and was more or less a toss up between him and Hillary. I figured it didn't matter much, since I'd vote for whichever one was still standing in November.

Today, I'm more convinced more than ever I made the right decision. In an age where the spoken word is boiled down to the ten-second soundbyte, I feel today may stand in history as one of the best and most important speeches of my life to date.

When Rev. Jeremiah Wright's inflammatory comments about white people came out a couple days ago, I started getting that sinking feeling that he would drag Obama down with him. I felt it was enough to give people pause about Obama's judgment, especially after he inevitably to distance himself from Wright and denounce what the man had said.

But then something else happened. Obama decided to confront the issue of race in America head-on. He did so honestly and intelligently, without pinning the blame on whites or blacks, and elegantly explaining the point of view of both. In doing so, Obama's words rang with a truth refreshing in the polished and safe world of politics, and in doing so exposed race relations in America for the unhealed wound it really is.

The underlying message I see in Obama's speech is that before we can all get along, we need to understand each other. Trying to believe we are all the same was and is a mistake. In actuality, we are all different, and understanding those differences and embracing diversity is the only way that wound can heal. Part of that is to stop blaming each other for our problems and to start looking inward.

I'm only thirty-one, but I am Chinese and Mexican and, firstly, American. I have friends from many cultures and walks of life, and I have seen and heard a lot that has made my cynical and apathetic about the country I live in. Today I began to understand that I want Obama as President because his candidacy makes me believe this country can be as great as I have been told in school. I need to believe this country isn't what it has been for the last eight years.

Today's speech was a big risk for Obama. After all, he's in the lead. He didn't have to do this. I'm hoping he is rewarded because of it. If he loses the nomination or the election because of this speech, it will be because he told Americans the truth but they did not want to listen.