Latino Voices

Latino Voices

Spanish Is Fading Across Generations. These Latino Parents Are Working to Keep It Alive

(WTTW News) 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

Antonio Santos and Katia Martinez founded the Gage Park Latinx Council. (WTTW News) 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

FILE - Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch speaks at an event, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo / Allison Robbert, File) 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

The Chicago State University football team at practice. (WTTW News) 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 >

Latino Voices

New Poll Explores Key Issues for Latino, Black Voters in Chicago Mayoral Election

(WTTW News) A new poll conducted by Northwestern University and a coalition of Black and Latino nonprofits found Black and Latino voters have common ground on key issues in the upcoming Chicago mayoral election. Read more >

Latino Voices

Experience the ‘Warm Spirit’ of Carnivale at Navy Pier, Feb. 25

Navy Pier is hosting a free Carnivale celebration from 1-5 p.m. Feb. 25 in the Aon Grand Ballroom. (Courtesy of Navy Pier) Carnivale is getting underway with festivals bursting with dance, music and food. All are invited to see, hear and taste some of the international Carnivale traditions in a free multicultural event at Chicago's Navy Pier. Read more >

Latino Voices

Back Home, Back to Work: Occupational Training Prepares Formerly Incarcerated People for the Workplace

At HHP Lift’s Liftworks social enterprise program, participants are taught how to manufacture home goods while also learning basic workplace skills. (Courtesy of HPP Lift) Research shows formerly incarcerated people who maintained employment for one year after release had only a 16% recidivism rate, compared to a 52% rate for those who did not stay employed. Read more >

Latino Voices

Overcoming Barriers, Stigma Surrounding Mental Health Care in Latino Communities

(WTTW News) Mental health professionals are continuing to bridge the gap on mental health care in Latino communities by offering more culturally competent care and normalizing conversations about mental health. Read more >

Black Voices

In ‘Benjamin Banneker and Us,’ Author Discovers Hidden Black Ancestry

Author Rachel Jamison Webster with her cousins and collaborators Edie Lee Harris, Robert Lett and Gwen Marable. (Adele Fammeree) Americans are discovering family secrets every day thanks to DNA testing and online genealogy. But not everyone learns they have a luminary of Black American history as an ancestor. Read more >

Black Voices

Evanston City Council Approves $25K Direct Cash Payments in Expansion of Reparations Program

(WTTW News) The initial program issued payments of $25,000 for housing benefits like mortgage assistance or renovations. Black residents who lived in Evanston during a 50-year period of discriminatory zoning laws and their direct descendants receive priority for eligibility. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, April 1, 2023 - Full Show

(WTTW News) Engaging the city’s youngest voters ahead of the mayoral election. Cash payments for Evanston’s reparations program. A local author traces her lineage back to Benjamin Banneker. And Glencoe's once-thriving Black community. Read more >

Black Voices

Engaging Chicago’s Young Voters Ahead of Election Day

(WTTW News) According to the Chicago Board of Elections, only 3% of voters ages 18 to 24 voted in the Feb. 28 Chicago municipal election. Read more >

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

(WTTW News) 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

What Comes Next for Police Reform Efforts in Chicago Amid COPA Leadership Changes

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) Andrea Kersten recently resigned as chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, known as COPA. The move happened after the city’s police oversight board issued a letter to Kersten saying it was planning to take a vote of no confidence in her leadership. Read more >

Latino Voices

Grassroots Effort Grows Into Queer-Led Community Hub in Gage Park

Antonio Santos and Katia Martinez founded the Gage Park Latinx Council. (WTTW News) 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

The Chicago State University football team at practice. (WTTW News) 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

The city of Gary, Ind., is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News) 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

The case and crew of the short film “Mataron A Pedro” at a screening in Chicago. (Carmona Rivera / National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture) 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.  Read more >