The Washington Post reports:

"President Obama offered an ambitious plan to create jobs and issued a direct challenge to Congress as he sought to seize the initiative in a political battle that will rage until the next election."

With Black unemployment higher than any segment of our economy, the success of Obama's proposals will have a direct impact on Black job seekers -- for better or worse. What it comes down to is that if he succeeds in getting most of his plan enacted, there will be a positive impact -- not as much as many want, but positive. If he fails, our fortunes will continue sink and get worse.

This bill, and the 2012 election will have the greatest impact on African Americans than anything since the Great Society Programs of the Johnson administration. If Democrats fail to re-elect the president, AND regain a majority in the House of Representatives, the Republican opposition will role back the clock 50 years.

This is a call to action. The President has stood up to fight. We must join him at the grassroots level to do our part to provide the support necessary to improve our future (a renewed Democratic majority in the House, and 7 nmore seats in the Senate to create a filibuster proof majority there).

Take a look at the information below to learn how we can help now. It is not likely that all of these measures will pass, so the final battle will be fought in November 2012. The war starts now.

The American Jobs Act: Get the Facts

Last night, President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress and presented the American Jobs Act, a comprehensive plan to put America back to work. It was created from a set of ideas supported by both Democrats and Republicans, and it acknowledges that if we are going to restore America's middle class, we need to rebuild the economy the American way, based on balance, fairness and the same set of rules for everyone from Wall Street to Main Street.

• Get the facts about the American Jobs Act
• Ask your questions about the American Jobs Act
  • Use the hashtag #WHChat on Twitter to ask your questions on President Obama's speech and the American Jobs Act
  • Senior staff will respond to your questions during scheduled "Office Hours" in real-time via Twitter from the @WHLive account

Our future is tied to the success of President Obama, whether we like it or not. We must begin now to let our voices be heard, and to forge the alliances necessary to protect the fragile gains we have made. Don't underestimate the importance of this moment in history.