Fully prepared speeches by Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention.

Good evening everyone! Who says you can’t go home?

After seeing the Obamas last night, that was epic fire, wasn’t it? We’re so fired up, we can’t wait to get out of here and do something! And what we’re going to do is elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States!

I am so honored to have been asked to speak tonight on the theme that matters most to me, to you, and to all of us Americans: freedom.

There are people who want you to see our country as a nation where we fight against them. People who want to scare you. People who want to control you. People who want to make you believe that books are dangerous. And assault rifles are safe.

That there is a right way to worship and a wrong way to love. People who want to divide first and then conquer. But that’s the point. When we stand together, it’s impossible to conquer us.

To quote an extraordinary American, the late Congressman John Lewis, “No matter what ship our ancestors arrived on, we are all in the same boat today.”

He knew exactly how far this country has come, for he was one of the brilliant Americans who got us where we are today. But he also knew that the work is not done. The work will never be done, for freedom is not free.

America is an ongoing project. It requires commitment, it requires a willingness to work hard and to work from the heart of democracy.

And every now and then you have to face the bullies of life. I know that. I’ve lived in Mississippi. In Tennessee. In Wisconsin. Maryland. Indiana. Florida. Hawaii. Colorado. California. And in my beautiful hometown of Chicago, Illinois!

I have traveled across this country, from the redwood forests to the waters of the Gulf Stream, and I have witnessed racism and sexism and income inequality and division.

Not only have I seen it, but I have sometimes had to endure it myself. But mostly I have seen and experienced people, both conservative and liberal, who may not agree with you but will still help you immediately when you are in trouble.

These are the people who make me proud to say I’m an American. They are the best that America has to offer. And despite what some people would have you believe, we’re not that different from our neighbors.

When a house burns, we don’t ask the race or religion of the homeowner. We don’t ask who his partner is or how he voted. No. We just try to do our best to save him. And if the house happens to belong to a childless cat lady, we try to get the cat out too. Because we are a country of people who work hard for the money.

We wish our brothers and sisters well and pray for peace. We know all the old tricks and clichés that are meant to distract us from what is really important.

But we’re beyond ridiculous tweets, lies, and silliness. We live in complicated times, folks, and they require adult conversations.

And I welcome these conversations because civil debate is critical to democracy and is what makes America best.

Over the last few nights, we have all seen brave people on stage sharing their deepest pain with us. Amanda, Josh, Caitlin and Hadley told us their stories of rape and incest. Of near-death experiences when the state denied them the abortion that their doctor said was medically necessary.

And they told us all this for one reason: to prevent what happened to them from happening to others. Because if you don’t have autonomy in this matter, if you can’t control when and how you bring your children into the world and how they are raised and supported, then there is no American dream.

The women and men fighting to keep us from falling back into a time of despair, shame and cold fear are the new freedom fighters. And make no mistake, they are America’s finest.

I want to talk now about someone who is not with us tonight. Tessie Prevost Williams was born in New Orleans shortly after the Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. That was in 1954, the same year I was born.

But I didn’t have to go to first grade in an all-white school with a U.S. Marshal by my side. When I went to school, the building wasn’t empty like Tessie’s.

Instead of allowing their daughter to integrate, the parents took their children out of school, leaving only Tessie and two other little black girls, Gail and Leona, in a classroom with the windows taped shut to prevent snipers from targeting their six-year-old bodies.

Tessie died six weeks ago. And I tell this story tonight to honor her. Because she – like Ruby Bridges and her friends Leona and Gail, the “New Orleans Four,” as they were called – broke barriers and paid dearly for it.

But it was the great courage of women like Tessie that paved the way for another young girl who, nine years later, was integrated into the public schools in Berkeley, California, as a second grader.

And I feel like someone at school and at home has done a great job of showing this young girl how to challenge the people at the top and empower the people at the grassroots.

They showed her how to look at the world and see not just what is, but what can be. They instilled in her a passion for justice and freedom and the great fighting spirit necessary to pursue that passion.

And very soon we will be telling our daughters and sons how this child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, two idealistic and energetic immigrants, grew up to become the 47th President of the United States! This is the best that America has to offer!

Let me tell you something. This election is not about us and them. It’s about you and me.

And what our future should look like. When we cast our vote, we have to make choices. Now there is a certain candidate who says we only have to vote once and then never again.

You know what? You’re looking at a registered independent who is proud to vote again and again because he’s an American and that’s what Americans do.

Voting is the best thing about America. And I have always voted based on values ​​since I was able to vote. And that is what is needed in this election now more than ever.

That’s why I appeal to all independents and undecideds. You know that this is true. You know that I am telling you the truth. That values ​​and character are most important. In leadership and in life.

And more than anything, you know it’s true: decency and respect will be on the ballot in 2024.

And just common sense. Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect. They’re the ones who give it to us.

So. We are Americans. Let us choose loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to an individual. Because that is the best thing about America. And let us choose optimism over cynicism. Because that is the best thing about America. And let us choose inclusion over retaliation, common sense over nonsense. Because that is the best thing about America!

And let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow rather than the bitter return to yesterday. We will not go back. We will not be sent back, pushed back, pushed back, we will not go back.

Let’s choose truth. Let’s choose honor. Let’s choose joy! Because that’s the best thing about America!

But more than anything else, we should choose freedom. Why? Because that’s the best thing about America!

We are all Americans, and let’s vote together for Kamalaaaaaaaa Haaaaaaaarris! Thank you, Chicago!