Like millions of Americans, I was inspired by Barack Obama, a visionary leader who aroused my hopes, renewed my confidence that our best days are ahead and demonstrated that nothing can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.

But as an African American woman, I know all too well that change is hard.  Progress has never come easily or quickly in this country.  However, as Democrats we realize no matter how difficult things get we must keep fighting and we must keep moving forward.  It is this spirit that guided our nation for 236 years.  And it is this spirit that has guided President Obama since his first day in office.

Handed an economy teetering on collapse and facing an extreme Republican Party, President Obama started working to bring us back from the brink; to restore prosperity; and to build a future where everybody does their fair share, gets a fair shot and plays by the same rules.

The change President Obama achieved in three short years can be seen in the 3.7 million jobs created over 23 consecutive months of job growth, the rescue of the auto industry, and the restoration of American manufacturing.  He passed historic healthcare reform that delivers affordable care and ends insurance company abuses, doubled funding for Pell Grants, implemented tough Wall Street reform that protects consumers from predatory practices, extended unemployment benefits and expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit.  And he kept his promise to end the war in Iraq.

Yet for all the promises kept and progress made, there remains more to do.

We have to keep fighting to rebuild our roads and bridges, keep teachers and police officers on the job, renew our investments in education, research and technology, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, promote clean energy, and tackle our deficits with a balanced approach.

I have spent 30 years working in public schools, and have raised two children of my own.  It is heartbreaking to see the next generation discouraged, despondent, and uncertain about whether they can realize the American Dream.  In these dark times, only President Obama can be that bright light of hope and possibility.

When I think of this election, I remember what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called “the fierce urgency of now.”  I believe we stand at a critical moment in history.  We can choose either to move forward or move back.  We can either renew the promise of America or return to the failed policies of the past.

In 2012, we must make the right choice, again.  We must move forward with President Barack Obama.  To learn more about the President’s record, and how you can help him move the country forward, click here.