Opinion | Cory Booker Wants You to Have Hope

I am telling you right now, as heartbroken as we all — so many of us feel, and I’m telling you in this moment, if America hasn’t broken your heart, you don’t love her enough. And so all those people who love this country and are in deep pain and wounded by what they see is happening right now, hold tight. The best chapter in a century, I think, is upon us if we can get the leadership right. What do you say to someone who says: Yeah, I’d love to believe that. And certainly we’ve overcome darkness in the past, but why should I have any hope now that we’re going to overcome it? How do you help people? We’ve talked a lot about optimism in this series. And I just think a lot of people struggle to summon optimism today. Well, as I said to you, these are heartbreaking times. But that is a sign of great love. You cannot have great courage unless you face great fear. And you cannot have great hope unless you face great despair.