Written by Josh Hoyt, originally posted on Progress Illinois:

Next Tuesday is the anniversary of the historic election of President Barack Obama and a memorable evening that many of us spent in Grant Park after the polls closed. Just how hard we are going to have to work to win that “Change” we fought for is now clear, and it is time to recommit to each other and to redouble our efforts.

I happened to be standing next to Rahm Emanuel as Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech in Grant Parkthat night. I have known Rahm many years and we have never been particularlyclose. But I put my hand on his shoulder and said, “Do us proud.” He jok
ed back, “Nah…. I think we will just go f*** it up!” More seriously I said, “We desperately need legalization for the 12 million undocumented.” Rahm replied, “It all depends on the votes.”

Now it is a year later and we are engaged in a bitter power struggle to win meaningful health care reform. In many ways the undocumented ended up being made the bogeymen of this debate (along with ACORN) by the Republicans, and got thrown under the bus by
many Democrats. Meanwhile deportations have increased under the Obama administration, and it is unclear whether the political will to move forward on immigration reform will exist after the exhausting health care battle subsides.

How should we deal at this point with disappointments from this White House? And how do we continue to press towards the “Change” we've been fighting for?

On November 3 in Grant Park, on the first anniversary of the election, we are joining with a broad cross-section of progressive leaders and many longtime supporters of President Obama to rally for the “Change” our nation still urgently needs.

We will be joining together in support of the fight for health care reform with a meaningful public option. We will also be signing a
letter to President Obama urging “courage” in moving forward on the range of challenging policy initiatives our nation urgently needs –from immigration and financial regulation reform, to workers' right to organize, to the full inclusion of the LGBT community, to addressing our rapidly warming planet.And we will be pledging to support of each others' efforts over time.

Too often, we work in silos, not seeing the humanity of others or the justice of their causes. But building an America that is fair and inclusive demands that we band together. The political reality is that Rahm will never get the votes that he needs, and will not have the will to cast them, if we are divided.

So please join us at the rally.