A pretty good article about the history Black politicians in Chicago, including how Obama was helped by moving here instead of New York.

I thought it was interesting especially when it mentions William Dawson, who ran the Black machine under Mayor J Daley. You see from what I read in a book about Daley and the machine, the machine worked to the benefit of whites who feared blacks moving into their neighborhoods and politicians. Large housing projects guaranteed that Black politicians would get reelected and would have a representation. It also guaranteed that black residents would be stuck in those housing project and unable to move to white neighborhoods. So from Daley's perspective he could say he was helping black politicians advance while avoiding conflict in white neighborhoods looking not to integrate.

The article doesn't go into that much, but it is still a good article mentioning all the powerful politicians that have come from Chicago. It also lauds Illinois as the most average state in the US, a microcosm of the nation. Anyway, I thought it was interesting.