Perseverance

Regardless of political affiliation, you had to be moved by the historic significance of this week's Democratic National Convention. In this, my daughter's first chance to vote for President, she saw the nation's first female Speaker of the House call roll, suspended by the first woman to not only win a major party's presidential primary but narrowly miss the nomination, 88 years since passage of the 19th Amendment.

As the spotlight fell on the nominee we were reminded that only 40 years earlier a black man couldn't drink from the same water fountain as a white man, yet here was a black man accepting the nomination for President of the United States.

One speaker who put it in perspective so well was Sen. Ted Kennedy. His presence alone spoke to the significance of the days ahead for all who struggled and persevered for decades and could now bear witness. Straddling time between two AIDS rides, I remember the Senator's words at another convention, decades ago.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

- Senator Edward Kennedy's 1980 concession speech

I long for the day our perseverance to end AIDS pays off and for every researcher who goes back to the drawing board one more time, every mile I ride and every dollar you give, I'm reminded of how we bring hope to the journey.