Shaping a prosperous common future is our collective responsibility

19 years ago on Feb. 10, 2007, then-Senator Barack Obama announced his candidacy for president on a bitterly cold day in Springfield Illinois. That’s a past that became a future that continues to inspire generations.

In his 2007 speech, President Obama called on each generation to rise up and answer the call to create change.

President Obama called on us to believe in hope in the face of despair, to stand together in the face of politics that try to divide us, and to find ways to disagree without being disagreeable.

While Obama’s message may not resonate well to those who feel opposed to him, it reverberates to us to reflect on the type of political bickering that goes on in our backyards.

That the politics of ethnic balkanization, the politics of hate, the politics of cartels hell bent in getting their turn to squander public resources, the politics of the most corrupt among us being given a chance to lead, the politics of spite for those on the opposing side, the politics that kill those that want accountability, that politics of killing the young generation will finally lead us to a very dangerous future.

We must all agree that we have individual responsibility to shape prosperity for our country and continent. That prosperity must start with visionary and servant leadership for us all to move into the future where there is dignity for all.