This week marks the first anniversary of Barack Obama's historic election as president. Progressive leaders from Illinois played no small role in shaping his political career and ultimately his national victory, which opened the door to the promise of change on so many fronts.  This afternoon, many of those same leaders commemorated the occasion by joining together at a Chicago rally and urging their old friend to have courage on progressive issues as he moves forward in Washington.

"Barack is the vehicle," said Tom Balanoff, president of theSEIU Illinois State Council (which sponsors this website).  "But we the people have got to come together and pave the road. ... We've got pave the road to help our president bring the change we need."  "We're going to work with every neighbor we've got," said Juan Salgado, president of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), "to make sure we move that train that is going to make change happen for all of us."  State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) addressed Obama directly: "We're here this morning, Mr. President, to lend you our hands and lighten your burden."

Watch those comments and some other clips from the rally below (including an enthusiastic call for a strong public option from Citizen Action/Illinois' William McNary):

ICIRR has more here.