Clinton Asks America to "Fight for Our Values" in First Post-Election Speech

In her first public appearance after a surprise loss to Donald Trump on Election Day, Hillary Clinton implored everyone to keep fighting for what they believe in.

"We have work to do, and for the sake of our children and our families and our country, I ask you to stay engaged, stay engaged on every level," Clinton said an the annual gala held by the Children's Defense Fund. "We need you. America needs you, your energy, your ambition, your talent. That is how we get through this."

The event's title, which now sounds a bit ironic, was "Beat the Odds." Although she never mentioned the president-elect's name, the former secretary of State acknowledged the difficulty in appearing at the event Wednesday night.

"I will admit coming here tonight wasn't the easiest thing for me," Clinton said, not surrounded by the security staff that was a staple of the campaign trail but accompanied by a handful of aides. "There have been a few times this past week when all I wanted to do is just to curl up with a good book or our dogs,and never leave the house again."

Clinton acknowledged that many Americans share her dismay about the election, a brutal contest that ended with Clinton winning the popular vote but losing the Electoral cCollege.

"I know many of you are deeply disappointed about the results of the election. I am, too -- more than I can ever express," she remarked. "I know this isn't easy. I know that over the past week, a lot of people have asked themselves whether America was the country we thought it was. But please listen to me when I say this: America is worth it."

"It's up to each and every one of us to keep working to make America better and stronger and fairer," Clinton added.

In offering a message of hope, the former first lady reflected on her own background. Her mother, Dorothy Rodham, was abandoned by her parents and forced to live with her abusive grandparents. Rodham's daughter would go on to work for the Children's Defense Fund as her first job out of Yale Law School, advocating for the rights of low-income and minority youth.

If she were able to speak to her mother as a young girl, Clinton said she would have told her that her daughter's life would stand as a testament to everything Rodham accomplished.

"Look at me and listen," Clinton would have said. "You will survive. You will have a family of your own, three children, and as hard as it might be to imagine, your daughter will grow up to be a United States senator, represent our country as secretary of State, and win more than 62 million votes."

Clinton said the work that must still be done to aid children living in poverty and growing up in abusive homes shows how much healing our country needs.

"There is a lot of work to do," the Democratic nominee said. "As long as any child in America lives in poverty, as long as any child in America lives in fear, as long as any child, not just here but in the world, faces these challenges, there is work to do."

Before quoting a famous line by Martin Luther King Jr., Clinton acknowledged the difficulty of putting the country back on track, building an America that is that is "hopeful, inclusive, and big-hearted" instead of divided by hate.

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice," she said.

Clinton, perhaps more than anyone, knows that to be true. "Sometimes it can feel awfully long," she added. "Believe me, I know."

Watch Clinton's speech below.