and i will tell you this : as i stand here today looking at a sea of faces from many a land who found for themselves greater opportunities here and a higher standard of living than they might have enjoyed otherwise had they not undertaken their great migrations , i think again of this blessed musician who sang not only for us yamians , but for all those who have sought a better life away from their motherlands , for all of those who have joined us in this wonderful collective human experiment here on the banks of this great river .