President Obama addressed the mostly African-American crowd for about 30 minutes, reminding them of how they supported his presidential campaign the first time around and highlighting his administration's accomplishments. Change and the progress he said his administration achieved were central themes of his address.

"Change is the fact that for the first time in history, you don't have to hide who you love in order to serve the country you love. We ended 'Don't ask, don't tell,' " Obama told the audience. He also pointed out that after nine years, "there are no Americans fighting in Iraq" and that "Osama bin Laden is not walking the face of this earth," using both as examples of change that took place during his tenure. 

But even with some progress, Obama reminded the audience, change takes time and implementing change hasn't been easy.

"We still have a lot of work to do, because there are a lot of folks who are still hurting out there. A lot of folks still pounding the pavement looking for work, a lot of people whose homes -- values have dropped. A lot of people who are still struggling to make the rent," he said. Georgia has been one of the states hardest hit with home foreclosures, with 12,356 properties having foreclosure filings in February, according to a recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

 And with the tax filing deadline approaching (April 17), President Obama also spoke of a recent meeting he had with Warren Buffett, during which they discussed the "Buffett Rule," now formally called, "Paying a Fair Share Act," and how people earning a higher income could afford to pay higher taxes.

"We've said if you make less than $250,000 a year, which is 98 percent of Americans, your taxes shouldn't go up. But folks like me -- we can afford to do a little more. Tyler can afford to do a little more. Tyler?" he joked.

Aisha I. Jefferson is a contributor to The Root.

Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.