Obama as a South Side community organizer

The Chicago Tribune series on the rise of Sen. Barack Obama continues today, with a rundown on Obama's stint as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side in the mid-1980s. Politically it was a wild time in Chicago, the local scene was dominated by the ongoing struggle between Chicago's first black mayor, Harold Washington, and his City Council foe, Ed Vrdolyak.

Obama came to the city to work for a Saul Alinsky. A few years later he moved on to Harvard University's law school.

Free registration is required for the Chicago Tribune link.

Technorati tags: Obama politics Barack Obama Illinois Chicago Democrats Saul Alinksky