I sat on the dais at West Point’s graduation. The speaker that year was Secretary of Defense James Mattis. One phrase in his speech resonated with me, and I used it during my talk. “We Americans aren’t made of cotton candy,” Mattis said.8 Damn right. Americans defeated Nazi Germany and imperial Japan. Americans went to the moon. Americans, including African American soldiers, emancipated four million men, women, and children. Americans can and will confront our past, survive, and thrive. We will make a better, more inclusive society for our children and our grandchildren. I believe in this
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