Thank you and thank you for joining us each and every one of you and welcome to all of my family and all of my friends here in Southwest Louisiana and beyond a few short years ago in the year of 1969 on the backdrop of school integration, just a few miles over the bridge there a little boy by the name of James from the Quincy Louisiana who happened to be going to school in Mossville, Louisiana because his father had just been fatal. Year the girl when the school integrate he had to go to West Lake high and he met a little girl by the name of Linda Heavers James and Linda were definitely different they were so different one who was ah ah an outgoing person one turn inward but somehow in the midst of the world that was feel with confusion they found the bed rock of common ground and it is all that ro Common ground that they built a marriage they built a home they built careers they built businesses They built a family that has weathered every storm and endure it every child for over 40 -. as the third born to that beautiful Union, I have not had the privilege of being around for every one of those years, but for nearly. Five of those years I have been around to view and watch and enjoy one of the greatest shows on Earth drama. suspense tragedies failures. victories triumphs celebrations and favor from God all proven that there is no match for mutual love No match for. Of purpose no match for determination so what did I do I decided I would try that myself and after a decade of marriage and nearly a decade of pastoring and over a decade of serving this community through both state and local governmental agencies I can testify today by both observation and experimentation that there is no farmer foundation upon which we can build a more perfect union Then that of common ground and so that's why I chose this little charm and coffee shop because it's name is called Common Grounds here we are in downtown Lake Charles Louisiana, and I am here to announce my candidacy for the United States Congress. I'm here today to raise the question. that must be raised in every generation can a nation so conceived in the idea of Liberty and dedicated to the truth of equality Can it endure the long and tedious journey of making those ideals a reality for every single citizen and as I? For you today I want to remind us all. that No nation can endure No nation can endure that type of journey unless each and every citizen digs down into the very depths of their heart beyond the shifting sands of the differences and find the bedrock of common ground. within each and every one of their hearts My friends we must find. Common crow because there is the only place that where we can sincerely recommend our sales to the unfinished work a forming a more perfect union love it I don't have all the answers but of this one thing I am sure the common ground that we seek is not below us nor is it behind us it cannot be reached by continuously stupid down to the lowest levels turning around to the previous generations destinies but we must know that the common ground that we are to seek is above us the common ground that we are to seek is before us and it can only be reach by rising up to the challenges about a day and moving forward together my friends there is no greatness to be found in back to the good days the glory that we seek as a nation can only be found by forging ahead to the best of our days we like the children of Israel wondering in the world in this month let the from the past crop our faith for the future because our destiny is not merely to become a better nation but to become a new nation rebuilt on the foundations principles the reality is that our current systems have met their moment of the minister returns and like the pioneers about a past such as all his boy can't and the right brothers we must not endeavour to simply better buggies no breathe fast the horses but we must develop truly innovative ideas that will help us to reach our potential a new and exciting ways first first and foremost we must reinvent our educational system in times like these we must find innovative ways to minimize educational disparities by maximizing our uses of technology there is no reason why every child should not be taught by the best teachers in the world while learning in the safest environment possible we must make the resources available to ensure that the ti Is accessible for the children sitting in my hometown of the Quincy Louisiana to enjoy the same educational opportunities as any child sitting in the suburbs of Lafayette we. have long since known the foul of a life long learner, but now we must fully consider the true value of a remote and virtual learner. We must build a system that supports a seamless stream of highly engaging educational interaction for every class. Room throughout our cities and to every living room within our communities in order to do this we must ensure that teachers and their support staff like my beautiful wife Jasmine from Crowley, we must ensure they are trained and equipped to compete with the best in the world and then compensate them like the true champions of our community that they are. Ah I I know that that it has been said that one should not go about reinvening the wheel but I say to the and we must reinvest the way on because the way we use and I'm working is not working for our teachers is not working for our parents and most importantly it is not working for our students we must remember that education is about discovery and when I get to wash it in I will make sure to find a way to incentivise educational exploration innovation and implementation especially among our colleges and universities at historical levels because on We have an educational system. that is more advanced than our missile systems. We will continue to have children that are more intrigued by lethal weapons than they are with literary works beloved next we must reinvent our infrastructure and economic systems we must ensure that no citizen that spends half the day working has to spend the other half of the day wondering how to make their ends meet. We must make. That minimum wage is not merely an existing wage, but a living wage that enables every American who is working to enjoy not only Liberty and the pursuit of happiness My friends American innovation is our most prized possession because not only has it been vital to our good fortune, but it is the key to our envision future. We must. Our economy we must spread in it through diversity and never settle for a single industry being the of our work force the American nit in the global economy is innovation and the freedom to create therefore if we must be an industrial district let us said out our sights on being the home of the next great industrial revolution sure that every community is trying and prepare to play a significant role in it's success and that they are also positioned to read that just rewards for their participation in it until there is economic innovation in every corner of our district and with in every industry representative here our children will continue to be forced to leave our communities and the cultures that they love in order to pursue their dancing careers that they honestly deserve if we are to accomplish this we must connect the economic engines of our urban seminars to the incredible work force that can be found in our own communities we must decrease the drive times and the delays for all of our regional commuters by improving infrastructure and Implementing Mass transit No bridge anywhere should ever be in such a condition that it creates a physical nor a psychological barrier to the economic opportunities that our friends and our neighbors are seeking. That's my friends. We must not only do those things, but then we must reinvent our Justice system. Louisiana can no longer. A forward to be in the competition of the capital of the world and neither cannot Christ's sake we are one nation under God and the God that I serve is one of conviction and then restoration, not one of condemnation beyond redemption. We must reestablish the mission and the vision of the American Justice system and ensure that it is clear at every single level we here in America restore the injured and we redeemed the convicted by all means. It must be ever didn't that every position and every title within this system reflects the true purpose and the intend of the person that serves within it peace officers legal counselors judges and justices and correction nor facilities must honorablely be and honestly do exactly what their names the man there is no way that we can stand this nation back up with a system that's designed to lock so many down my friends are I am a man of the scripture also teaches us that for that to be order those laws must be administered with grace the story of America is one of a parrot flows there are overcome by hope and when I arrive in wash it in I will set out to make sure that our system of justice access to their auditions hope for every living American lastly my friends we must reinvet our health care system the sentity and the quality of life for every single American must be ensured from just nation to Every everyone. everyone from victims to veterans like my father must always receive the health care that would prevent the preexisting condition crisis that we are experiencing in our nation today the of our future pandemic preparations and responses must always be the maintain health of our general population. We must expand access to quality health care by providing additional support for medical facility. In our rural communities health education, must become a primary focus across our district dietary discretion must be promoted all while ensuring that eating disorders are prevented scientists lost be regarded among the heroes of our nation. And one of the findings must be respected among our guiding documents. We must realize that our nation's health is its wealth for what God is freedom if you are too feeble and failed to fully function in it. The reality is that there is no system in which the saying is more true than in the health care system that we are only as strong as our weakest lake and unfortunately the reason and many ways we are the weakest lake and we must set out to change that now my friends we must reinvent our phenomenal cuisine in ways that does not allow it to become our fatal flow we must eat we must drink and we must dance our way back in the shape so that we can truly show the world had a Here hear me well when I tell you I know that it's midnight in America and that every system that I have mentioned on today has seen better days than today. but deep in my heart. I do believe that not one of those systems has seen its best day yet so while there'. Denying the darkness that is upon us I refused to be distracted from the dawn that is yet the forest because no matter how dog it is admit night the fact remains it's still a new day and so we must determine with in our heart to meet that new day as a new nation and to become a new nation we need no leadership kind of leadership that has a new vision that Trump's the old illusion that our best days or behind us and that our best way forward is back with no now it's not the time to do the things we've already tried again but now is the time to do the things that we never try before now is the To make America not great again, but now is the time to make America greater than it's ever been. It is a new day we have new mercies. This is our common ground and so help us God we will perfect this Union because this is the United States of America. let the people say Amen.