In his poem "I, Too," Langston Hughes described how it felt to be a Black man living in the United States during the first part of the 20th century. But his words speak to the experience of all groups who have been pushed to the margins of American society. They also give voice to a sustaining conviction - that true equality will come.
Out of all the pain caused by exclusion, hatred and injustice in our nation's history, there has emerged another, more hopeful narrative. This narrative has been composed by the men and women who, when told by the larger society to "stay in their place," insisted that "their place" was at the American table.
As Americans, we are justly proud of the ideals of freedom, democracy and equality that are enshrined in our nation's founding documents - the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Our challenge is to make them more than promises on paper. The stories you are about to read show how some ordinary Americans made those promises come alive, not just for themselves but for us all.
