I am so honored to be here today, representing the diversity of our Democratic Party and the coalition of 18 million people of all backgrounds and all walks of life that stood with Hillary and never gave up. This primary season, the Hispanic community participated in historic numbers. Hispanics will be a pivotal voice and vote in electing the next president. Together, we have made history this year—and it is only the beginning.

Now, I want to say a few words in Spanish: en esta primaria electoral nuestre communidad participomos con numerous historicos. Nosotros vamos a ser la voz decica en elegir el próximo presidente de los estados unidos, y estamos muy orgullosos que hicimos historia. Y apenas estamos empezando! Sí se pudo!

I am a fourth-generation American from New Mexico. My father, Juan Fernandez, was a miner, field worker, and union activist and state assemblyman. My mother, Alicia Chavez, was a feminist and small business owner. My parents instilled in me the importance of hard work, determination and putting one’s neighbor before oneself. Hillary’s values are the values of my family and of our community.

When César Chávez and I first organized farm workers and immigrants over 40 years ago, it was not easy. But we persevered, and we made progress. We believed that those who do backbreaking work for low wages, often in a dangerous workplace, deserve a champion, someone who will fight for them.

That is why I love and respect Hillary. She has stood with hardworking people and knows how important it is to keep fighting—and keep going. For many in America, working people are invisible. For Hillary Clinton, no American is invisible.

I stand with Hillary as she stands with Barack to take our country back. But now, Mrs. Chairman, on behalf of all woman and working families, I have the great honor to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton, my friend, our champion, for President of these United States of America.

To the 2,170 women delegates: this is our convention. To women across America: this is our party. And to all Americans: Barack Obama is our candidate to deliver the change we need.

I am proud to be joined by my distinguished women colleagues of the United States House of Representatives who are working for America’s working women. They will share the stories of women around our country who all agree that our country can’t afford more of the same.

My friends, it is time to take back the country we love.

Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. We are on the same team, and none of us can sit on the sidelines.

This is a fight for the future. And it’s a fight we must win.

I haven’t spent the past 35 years in the trenches advocating for children, campaigning for universal health care, helping parents balance work and family, and fighting for women’s rights at home and around the world . . . to see another Republican in the White House squander the promise of our country and the hopes of our people.

And you haven’t worked so hard over the last 18 months, or endured the last eight years, to suffer through more failed leadership.

No way. No how. No McCain.

Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our President.

Tonight we need to remember what a Presidential election is really about. When the polls have closed, and the ads are finally off the air, it comes down to you -- the American people, your lives, and your children’s futures.

For me, it’s been a privilege to meet you in your homes, your workplaces, and your communities. Your stories reminded me everyday that America’s greatness is bound up in the lives of the American people -- your hard work, your devotion to duty, your love for your children, and your determination to keep going, often in the face of enormous obstacles.

You taught me so much, you made me laugh, and . . . you even made me cry. You allowed me to become part of your lives. And you became part of mine.

I will always remember the single mom who had adopted two kids with autism, didn’t have health insurance and discovered she had cancer. But she greeted me with her bald head painted with my name on it and asked me to fight for health care.

I will always remember the young man in a Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said to me: “Take care of my buddies; a lot of them are still over there….and then will you please help take care of me?”

I will always remember the boy who told me his mom worked for the minimum wage and that her employer had cut her hours. He said he just didn’t know what his family was going to do.

I will always be grateful to everyone from all fifty states, Puerto Rico and the territories, who joined our campaign on behalf of all those people left out and left behind by the Bush Administrtation.

To my supporters, my champions -- my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits – from the bottom of my heart: Thank you.

You never gave in. You never gave up. And together we made history.

Along the way, America lost two great Democratic champions who would have been here with us tonight. One of our finest young leaders, Arkansas Democratic Party Chair, Bill Gwatney, who believed with all his heart that America and the South could be and should be Democratic from top to bottom.

And Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a dear friend to many of us, a loving mother and courageous leader who never gave up her quest to make America fairer and smarter, stronger and better. Steadfast in her beliefs, a fighter of uncommon grace, she was an inspiration to me and to us all.

Our heart goes out to Stephanie’s son, Mervyn, Jr, and Bill’s wife, Rebecca, who traveled to Denver to join us at our convention.

Bill and Stephanie knew that after eight years of George Bush, people are hurting at home, and our standing has eroded around the world. We have a lot of work ahead.

Jobs lost, houses gone, falling wages, rising prices. The Supreme Court in a right-wing headlock and our government in partisan gridlock. The biggest deficit in our nation’s history. Money borrowed fr?m the Chinese to buy oil fr?m the Saudis.

Putin and Georgia, Iraq and Iran.

I ran for President to renew the promise of America. To rebuild the middle class and sustain the American Dream, to provide the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford the gas and groceries and still have a little left over each month.

To promote a clean energy economy that will create millions of green collar jobs.

To create a health care system that is universal, high quality, and affordable so that parents no longer have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead end jobs simply to keep their insurance.

To create a world class education system and make college affordable again.

To fight for an America defined by deep and meaningful equality - from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights, from ending discrimination to promoting unionization to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families. To help every child live up to his or her God-given potential.

To make America once again a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws.

To bring fiscal sanity back to Washington and make our government an instrument of the public good, not of private plunder.

To restore America's standing in the world, to end the war in Iraq, bring our troops home and honor their service by caring for our veterans.

And to join with our allies to confront our shared challenges, from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming.

Most of all, I ran to stand up for all those who have been invisible to their government for eight long years.

Those are the reasons I ran for President. Those are the reasons I support Barack Obama. And those are the reasons you should too.

I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?

We need leaders once again who can tap in-to that special blend of American confidence and optimism that has enabled generations before us to meet our toughest challenges. Leaders who can help us show ourselves and the world that with our ingenuity, creativity, and innovative spirit, there are no limits to what is possible in America.

This won’t be easy. Progress never is. But it will be impossible if we don’t fight to put a Democrat in the White House.

We need to elect Barack Obama because we need a President who understands that America can’t compete in a global economy by padding the pockets of energy speculators, while ignoring the workers whose jobs have been shipped overseas. We need a President who understands that we can’t solve the problems of global warming by giving windfall profits to the oil companies while ignoring opportunities to invest in new technologies that will build a green economy.

We need a President who understands that the genius of America has always depended on the strength and vitality of the middle class.

Barack Obama began his career fighting for workers displaced by the global economy. He built his campaign on a fundamental belief that change in this country must start from the ground up, not the top down. He knows government must be about “We the people” not “We the favored few.”

And when Barack Obama is in the White House, he’ll revitalize our economy, defend the working people of America, and meet the global challenges of our time. Democrats know how to do this. As I recall, President Clinton and the Democrats did it before. And President Obama and the Democrats will do it again.

He’ll transform our energy agenda by creating millions of green jobs and building a new, clean energy future. He’ll make sure that middle class families get the tax relief they deserve. And I can’t wait to watch Barack Obama sign a health care plan in-to law that covers every single American.

Barack Obama will end the war in Iraq responsibly and bring our troops home – a first step to repairing our alliances around the world.

And he will have with him a terrific partner in Michelle Obama. Anyone who saw Michelle’s speech last night knows she will be a great First Lady for America.

Americans are also fortunate that Joe Biden will be at Barack Obama’s side. He is a strong leader and a good man. He understands both the economic stresses here at home and the strategic challenges abroad. He is pragmatic, tough, and wise. And, of course, Joe will be supported by his wonderful wife, Jill.

They will be a great team for our country.

Now, John McCain is my colleague and my friend.

He has served our country with honor and courage.

But we don’t need four more years . . . of the last eight years.

More economic stagnation …and less affordable health care.

More high gas prices …and less alternative energy.

More jobs getting shipped overseas …and fewer jobs created here.

More skyrocketing debt ...home foreclosures …and mounting bills that are crushing our middle class families.

More war . . . less diplomacy.

More of a government where the privileged come first …and everyone else comes last.

John McCain says the economy is fundamentally sound. John McCain doesn’t think that 47 million people without health insurance is a crisis. John McCain wants to privatize Social Security. And in 2008, he still thinks it’s okay when women don’t earn equal pay for equal work.

With an agenda like that, it makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities. Because these days they’re awfully hard to tell apart.

America is still around after 232 years because we have risen to the challenge of every new time, changing to be faithful to our values of equal opportunity for all and the common good.

And I know what that can mean for every man, woman, and child in America. I’m a United States Senator because in 1848 a group of courageous women and a few brave men gathered in Seneca Falls, New York, many traveling for days and nights, to participate in the first convention on women’s rights in our history.

And so dawned a struggle for the right to vote that would last 72 years, handed down by mother to daughter to granddaughter – and a few sons and grandsons along the way.

These women and men looked in-to their daughters’ eyes, imagined a fairer and freer world, and found the strength to fight. To rally and picket. To endure ridicule and harassment. To brave violence and jail.

And after so many decades – 88 years ago on this very day – the 19th amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote would be forever enshrined in our Constitution.

My mother was born before women could vote. But in this election my daughter got to vote for her mother for President.

This is the story of America. Of women and men who defy the odds and never give up.

How do we give this country back to them?

By following the example of a brave New Yorker , a woman who risked her life to shepherd slaves along the Underground Railroad.

And on that path to freedom, Harriett Tubman had one piece of advice.

If you hear the dogs, keep going.

If you see the torches in the woods, keep going.

If they're shouting after you, keep going.

Don't ever stop. Keep going.

If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.

Even in the darkest of moments, ordinary Americans have found the faith to keep going.

I’ve seen it in you. I’ve seen it in our teachers and firefighters, nurses and police officers, small business owners and union workers, the men and women of our military – you always keep going.

We are Americans. We're not big on quitting.

But remember, before we can keep going, we have to get going by electing Barack Obama president.

We don't have a moment to lose or a vote to spare.

Nothing less than the fate of our nation and the future of our children hang in the balance.

I want you to think about your children and grandchildren come election day. And think about the choices your parents and grandparents made that had such a big impact on your life and on the life of our nation.

We've got to ensure that the choice we make in this election honors the sacrifices of all who came before us, and will fill the lives of our children with possibility and hope.

That is our duty, to build that bright future, and to teach our children that in America there is no chasm too deep, no barrier too great – and no ceiling too high – for all who work hard, never back down, always keep going, have faith in God, in our country, and in each other.

Thank you so much. God bless America and Godspeed to you all.

How fitting that I speak to you on Women’s Equality Day, when we celebrate ratification of the amendment that gave women the right to vote. Even as we celebrate, let’s also remind ourselves: the fight for equality is not over. I know that from personal experience. I was a trailblazer when I went to work as a female supervisor at a Goodyear tire plant in Gadsden, Alabama.

My job demanded a lot, and I gave it 100 percent. I kept up with every one of my male co-workers. But toward the end of my 19 years at Goodyear, I began to suspect that I wasn’t getting paid as much as men doing the same job. An anonymous note in my mailbox confirmed that I was right. Despite praising me for my work, Goodyear gave me smaller raises than my male co-managers, over and over.

Those differences affected my family’s quality of life then, and they affect my retirement now. When I discovered the injustice, I thought about moving on. But in the end, I couldn’t ignore the discrimination. So I went to court. A jury agreed with me. They found that my employer had violated the law and awarded me what I was owed.

I hoped the verdict would make my company feel the sting, learn a lesson and never again treat women unfairly. But they appealed, all the way to the Supreme Court, and in a 5-to-4 decision our highest court sided with big business. They said I should have filed my complaint within six months of Goodyear’s first decision to pay me less, even though I didn’t know that’s what they were doing.

In dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote that the ruling made no sense in the real world. She was right. The House of Representatives passed a bill that would make sure what was done to me couldn’t happen again. But when it got to the Senate, enough Republicans opposed it to prevent a vote.

We can’t afford more of the same votes that deny women their equal rights. Barack Obama is on our side. He is fighting to fix this terrible ruling, and as president, he has promised to appoint justices who will enforce laws that protect everyday people like me. But this isn’t a Democratic or a Republican issue. It’s a fairness issue. And fortunately, there are some Republicans—and a lot of Democrats—who are on our side.

My case is over. I will never receive the pay I deserve. But there will be a far richer reward if we secure fair pay. For our children and grandchildren, so that no one will ever again experience the discrimination that I did. Equal pay for equal work is a fundamental American principle. We need leaders in this country who will fight for it. With all of us working together, we can have the change we need and the opportunity we all deserve.

Thank you.

The Bush Administration still refuses to implement laws on the books that give women access to the federal marketplace—costing them billions in lost opportunities. We cannot afford more of the same.

John McCain has already proven to be more of the same. He has consistently opposed opportunities for women in the workforce, saying they just need, and I quote, “training and education.” Senator McCain should know that women already earn more advanced degrees than men. Senator McCain should know that we deserve–and will demand–a level playing field.

John McCain would not just hold back female entrepreneurs, he would hurt all small businesses. He has pledged to continue the Bush tax cuts that favored Fortune 500 companies over entrepreneurs. In fact, only four percent of small firms saw a penny more. It’s this practice of neglecting small businesses—that has resulted in unemployment rates skyrocketing to a four-year high. We can’t afford more of the same.

Leave it to the Republicans to serve a big business agenda and call it a small business plan. They may not know the difference between Wall Street and Main Street, but Barack Obama knows that small business is big business in America.

Barack Obama will provide small-business tax incentives to encourage investment and spur innovation. He’ll introduce a health care plan that addresses the unique challenges to small firms. He’ll give entrepreneurs the tools they need to succeed through programs in the Small Business Administration. Most importantly, he will break the cycle of Republican cronyism that has American business in a chokehold, and renew the country’s promise so that every American can live the beauty of their dreams.

From the single mom in rural Appalachia who wants to move from welfare to business ownership, to the Latino in the barrio who is making minimum wage but wants to be an entrepreneur, to the African-American business owner here in Denver, who can barely make ends meet. These people can’t afford more of the same from John McCain.

My sisters, my friends, Barack Obama knows that the face of American business is changing. He knows that the entrepreneurial spirit on which this country was built is now the backbone of our economy—and he will deliver the change our country needs, to make that backbone stronger than ever before. Si se puede. A votar por Barack Obama noviembre cuatro.

As mothers, daughters, wives, sisters, and legislators, we know how important quality, affordable healthcare is to America’s working families.

Yet 47 million Americans lack health insurance, and 80 percent of them are from working families. We’re in the midst of a national healthcare crisis, where two-thirds of Americans have trouble getting or paying for care they need.

We must reform Medicare so our seniors, who built our great country, always receive essential care. We must fulfill America’s promise to our troops so that their sacrifice will be rewarded with quality healthcare for them and their families. Every American deserves the peace of mind that a quality health plan brings.

This November, we can’t afford more of the same. Let’s elect Barack Obama and bring health security to all Americans!

Thank you.

The Democratic women of the Senate are a force for women, a force for families, and a force for change. We’re proud to introduce you to our checklist for change.

You know how we women are. We make our to-do lists. We check off our accomplishments. We get things done!

And that’s exactly what we Democrats are going to do when we take back the White House!

Let’s start with equal pay for equal work. It’s an absolute scandal that America’s women continue to earn just 77 cents for every dollar men earn. Tonight, you are going to hear from lily Ledbetter, who after years of dedicated service found out she had been paid less every day of her career. The Supreme Court said there wasn’t anything they could do about it. But there is something we can do about it. We can change the federal law book and put change in women’s checkbooks.

This November, we can’t afford more of the same. Let’s elect Barack Obama and finally get equal pay for equal work!

Thank you.

I am the president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. After eight years of George Bush, you might be surprised that a Texan is president of Planned Parenthood. After all, there aren’t many people eager to see the words “Texan’ and “president” in the same sentence ever again. I’m proud that for only the second time in our history, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund has endorsed a candidate for president, Barack Obama.

Planned Parenthood health centers are the leading providers of women’s health care in the country. One in four women visit them—and not just for birth control—for cancer screening and breast exams. Many women have no other source of health care. I see firsthand what women and families are facing—choosing between rent and doctor visits—young people needing information to make responsible decisions about their health.

Women deserve a president who understands their health care needs. The record is clear: Barack Obama does and John McCain does not. Barack Obama has worked for affordable family planning, for comprehensive sex education and for a woman’s right to choose. He will be a president who supports women’s health and rights one hundred percent. He’s the change America needs.

And John McCain? He’ll be more of the same. He’s spent 25 years working against the health care needs of women. John McCain has voted against women’s health care 125 times. You can look it up: he voted against real sex education, against affordable family planning and, if elected, John McCain has vowed to appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade.

John McCain believes that judges, politicians and bureaucrats know better than women themselves what’s best for their health. Just two weeks ago, John McCain said he didn’t know if insurance companies should cover birth control. Well, let me remind you senator, you voted against it twice.

Where women’s health is concerned, it seems clear that when John McCain says “I don’t know”, what he really means is “I don’t care.” Women deserve better.

On that summer night in Atlanta 20 years ago my mother introduced her “nearly perfect” granddaughter Lily. Lily is here tonight and there is nothing that would make mom prouder than that this November Lily will cast her first vote for president – for Barack Obama. For mom, for Lily, and for all women, Barack Obama is the right choice.

Barack Obama is the change America needs.

As a former elected official from Montana, I am proud to say that my party—the Democratic Party—is a party of many faiths and backgrounds united behind these core moral values: we support and defend a woman’s right to choose safe, legal abortion.

We believe we can and should do more to prevent unintended pregnancy, which would reduce the need for abortion. We stand for the teaching of honest, realistic, sex education. We stand for the right to choose contraception. We stand with women who choose adoption. We stand with women who choose to continue their pregnancies, and we will support them in the responsibilities of raising a child.

We recognize that the debate over reproductive rights has often been divisive. The slogans and bumper stickers, which paint this issue in black and white, fail to acknowledge the profound complexity most people feel on the issue of abortion. We can honor and respect those opinions while still protecting the fundamental values of freedom and privacy.

On the other side, there’s John McCain who has voted to ban abortion with no exceptions for the victims of incest or rape and has embraced his party’s platform that calls for outlawing abortion in all cases, with no exceptions. So, I ask John McCain: how is it moral to vote to eliminate a family-planning program that provides millions of low-income women with access to birth control and breast-cancer screenings? How is it moral, John McCain, to talk about respecting life while opposing the extension of the children’s health insurance program? How is it moral, John McCain, to force teachers to censor life-saving information from our teens, as they must do under the failed abstinence-only policy?

These questions matter as this historic election coincides with the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Reproductive freedom is on the line. The Supreme Court is at an ideological tipping point. The next president will decide Roe’s fate. John McCain has spent more than 25 years in Washington voting against women’s freedom and has pledged to appoint justices to the Supreme Court who will overturn Roe v. Wade.

Tonight, we invite Americans who share our values, including moderate Republicans and independents, to unite behind our common goal of electing Senator Barack Obama, an effective and passionate leader who will protect a woman’s right to choose now and for future generations.

Thank you, and good night.