Latino Voices
Latino Voices
Spanish Is Fading Across Generations. These Latino Parents Are Working to Keep It Alive
Nationally, the share of Latinos who speak Spanish at home declined from 78% in 2000 to 68% in 2024, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. The decline has been particularly pronounced among U.S.-born Latinos, as English becomes increasingly dominant across generations.
Read more >Latino Voices
Grassroots Effort Grows Into Queer-Led Community Hub in Gage Park
In a neighborhood where nearly 90% of residents identify as Latino and many families are rooted in Catholic traditions, the queer-led Gage Park Latinx Council has grown into a hub for families.
Read more >Black Voices
Black Voices
Smithsonian Head Lonnie Bunch on Preserving History, Retirement and Trump Administration Threats
Lonnie Bunch was named secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 2019. He began his career at the Smithsonian at the National Air and Space Museum in 1978 and took on a new role in 2005 to lead the development of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago State University Gears Up for First-Ever Football Game
For Chicago State University, the first game will be about more than football. The university is hoping the new program can help build a new sports identity on Chicago’s South Side.
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Discussing A New City Council Era With Latino Winners in Chicago’s Runoff Election
Chicago City Council will look a lot different this year following Tuesday’s runoff election — made up of many younger, more progressive alderpeople who will be working with Chicago’s Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson.
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SAIC Student Uses Art as a Tool for Healing, Forgiveness
Art student Jackie Patino grew up in a religious household and had an exorcism performed on her. She now uses art not only to process trauma but also as a tool to heal and forgive.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, April 1, 2023 - Full Show
As Election Day approaches, top issues on the minds of voters. A local congregation helping migrants. The Golden Gloves turns 100. And “Adventures with Abuelita.”
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Latino Voters Overlooked by Campaigns Could Swing Mayoral Election
Latino voters could be the crucial swing vote that decides who will be Chicago’s next mayor, but according to a recent poll, many Latinos said they haven’t heard from either of the candidates ahead of Tuesday’s runoff election.
Read more >Black Voices
What the Fight for Water Equity Looks Like for Black Residents, Seen Through the Lens of ‘Wishing Well’ Exhibit
A 2022 Guardian analysis found that majority Black and Latino neighborhoods had the highest concentration of lead in their tap water. As of a few months ago, the city of Chicago had replaced fewer than 300 lead service lines out of about 390,000.
Read more >Black Voices
South Side Retiree Finds New Passion as Sign Language Teacher at Thurgood Marshall Library
Every Tuesday afternoon at the Thurgood Marshall Branch of the Chicago Public Library, retiree Jerry Bowen signs “hello” to the sign language class he’s taught remotely for three years.
Read more >Black Voices
Finding ‘The Road Home’ with Re-Entry Navigator-in-Training Kameron Huckleby
Kameron Huckleby is on the road home after incarceration, and he’s on the road to helping others do the same as a re-entry navigator in training with the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, May 12, 2023 - Full Show
What young Chicagoans hope to see from their new mayor. Resources for people returning from incarceration. And learning sign language at a local library.
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Join WTTW News every weekend for analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts and life, entrepreneurship and innovation, and equity and justice across the sectors of our society and in the Black and Latino communities in Chicago. Make the VOICES series your definitive source for real conversation and a platform for different voices and perspectives.
Latino Voices
Black Voices
Latino Voices
Spanish Is Fading Across Generations. These Latino Parents Are Working to Keep It Alive
Nationally, the share of Latinos who speak Spanish at home declined from 78% in 2000 to 68% in 2024, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. The decline has been particularly pronounced among U.S.-born Latinos, as English becomes increasingly dominant across generations.
Read more >Black Voices
Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon on New DEI Initiatives, Suburban Voter Turnout
Last month, Monica Gordon marked 100 days in office. In that time, she said, she’s seen an increase in requests for records like birth certificates and marriage licenses.
Read more >Latino Voices
Grassroots Effort Grows Into Queer-Led Community Hub in Gage Park
In a neighborhood where nearly 90% of residents identify as Latino and many families are rooted in Catholic traditions, the queer-led Gage Park Latinx Council has grown into a hub for families.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago State University Gears Up for First-Ever Football Game
For Chicago State University, the first game will be about more than football. The university is hoping the new program can help build a new sports identity on Chicago’s South Side.
Read more >
Black Voices
Storm Recovery Continues in Gary, as Thousands Still Without Power
Tuesday will mark two weeks since a derecho swept through Illinois and northwest Indiana, with winds damaging homes, uprooting trees and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands.
Read more >Latino Voices
New Short Film Showcases Life, Work of Puerto Rican Activist
Members of Chicago’s Puerto Rican community recently took park in a special screening of a new short film based on the life of Pedro Albizu Campos.
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