Some see President-elect Barack Obama’s decision to sit down for his first print interview with Ebony magazine as a symbolic nod to the readers of the historic black magazine.

The group overseeing Barack Obama’s Jan. 20 inaugural boasts a bipartisan roster of go-getters, most with deep Chicago roots.

It is testament to her close relationship to Barack and Michelle Obama – and to members of their inner circle - that Desiree Rogers threw an intimate birthday party for her friend, Valerie Jarrett, last week. Among the guests were the president-elect and his wife.

To a degree unlike any other city in America, Chicago is identified with its black elite. Locals joke that you can find more black millionaires per square foot at the Chicago Urban League’s annual dinner than you can anywhere in the world.

With Barack Obama sewing up the Democratic nominee for president, one of the hottest games in Chicago is guessing who might accompany him to Washington.

Barack Obama’s education in the bare-knuckled and often tribal politics of Chicago says much about his ambition, as well as his ability to cultivate powerful mentors.