PROLOGUE:

The next page you are about to read is a transcript of a speech written by a young man from Anderson, Indiana. He delivered it flawlessly, from memory, at the Oratorical competition held for one of the clubs in the Indiana North District, in March, 1996.

This speech might make you uncomfortable. It should. It happened. It is happening. It will happen again. It is reality. But there is hope. As long as our young men and women are aware of these things - - as long as they are willing to speak out about these things, there is much promise. They will be far better prepared to deal with them and will make a far bigger difference and greater impact than we have been able to accomplish. And THAT, as Optimists, is what we dare hope for.

This is a transcript of his original text, unabridged and edited only to correct minor spelling, punctuation and form.

Final note: prologue and epilogue excluded, this document is presented for sharing, and not subject to correction. Critical comments are, of course, welcome.

GO TOBRANDON'S SPEECH