Chicago’s racial makeup is often described as roughly one-third white, one-third Black and one-third Latino.  Now, alderpeople are battling over how to fairly reflect the city’s evolving racial makeup in how the borders of its 50 wards are drawn. 

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights recently announced the launch of its Immigrant Health Academy. It will train community leaders in suburban areas with high immigrant populations to inform immigrants about their health care rights and correct misconceptions about access to care.

As the holiday season nears and families across the country prepare to observe the traditions that make their celebrations special, the state of the global supply chain has been thrust into the spotlight.

As the weather starts to turn chillier and the days grayer, many Chicagoans rely on coffee to bring them some daily sunshine. But the people who grow the beans around the world don’t always benefit from the wealth their product creates.

What a basic income program could do for low-income families. The latest at the El Milagro plant as workers protest conditions. And we break bread for Dia de los Muertos. 

Chicago’s newly approved 2021 budget includes a yearlong basic income pilot for 5,000 Chicago households. We discuss what the city is hoping that money can do to help low-income Chicagoans financially recover from the pandemic.

Production line workers at the El Milagro tortilla factories have been organizing walkouts and rallies to call attention to what they say are unsafe working conditions, unfair labor practices, intimidation from management, and incidents of sexual harassment. Arise Chicago’s Laura Garza gave Latino Voices an update.

A new law changes the landscape for immigrants in Illinois. Puerto Ricans protest over the island's power grid. Plus, sustainability and savings at local resale shops.

In August, Gov. J. B. Pritzker signed into law, the Illinois Way Forward Act. Among the changes are stronger protections for immigrants and an effective discontinuation of federal detention centers in Illinois by 2022. 

Thousands of Puerto Ricans are taking to the streets to protest massive blackouts. The island’s antiquated power grid has long been unreliable, and it was decimated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. This summer, officials hoped the privatization of the power grid by LUMA Energy would help.

Shopping second hand is growing in popularity as an affordable and eco-friendly way for young fashionistas to carve out a style niche for themselves. Two shops in Logan Square are hoping they can capitalize on that trend by adding a touch of luxury.

An advisory panel with the Food and Drug Administration is recommending that the agency authorize COVID-19 booster shots for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. However, in Latino communities, rates of initial vaccination are still lagging.

A video showing a group of Marist High School students kneeling during a Spanish song played at a school dance has gone viral. And some students want action to be taken.

Ruth Campos works as a burn crew member. She uses controlled burns to restore life to landscapes. In the last year, she has traveled to Minnesota and California to help battle wildfires, and she wants more women – especially women of color to join her.

Chicago at night is a dazzling sight — but the skyline and streetlamps that light up our evenings also make it harder to see the natural wonders of the night sky. Still, Chicago Astronomer founder Joe Guzman, better known as Astro Joe, says there’s plenty to see — you just need to know how to look.

Reaction to a viral video of students kneeling to a Spanish song at a school dance. Plus, addressing lagging vaccination rates among Latinos. And efforts to get more women involved in conservancy.