Chicago's black politicians building own dynasties

In a city where the mayor holds the same job his father once did, politics can seem little different from the years of the legendary Democratic Machine. But the faces of political privilege — long dominated by white ethnic groups — have changed as powerful black politicians use their clout to build new dynasties.

The next in a long line of successions has been set in motion by Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, one of Barack Obama's first political mentors, who in announcing his retirement this week made it clear he wants his son to take his seat.

It's the latest twist on the"it's our turn" catch-phrase popular when Chicago elected its first black mayor in 1983, said Laura Washington, a professor at Chicago's DePaul University.