Latino Voices

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 >

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 >

Black Voices

Black Voices

‘Other Washingtons’ Art Installation Aims to Reimagine Who We Choose to Remember

Amanda Williams' new art installation around the George Washington statue in Washington Park features artists, inventors, educators and leaders. (WTTW News) “Other Washingtons” is an art intervention located around the George Washington statue at 51st Street and Martin Luther King Drive that features artists, inventors, educators and other inspirational leaders, all with the last name Washington. Read more >

Black Voices

Take a Look Inside the 1903 Frank Lloyd Wright House a Chicago Nonprofit Is Working to Restore

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Walser House, a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2025. (Eric Allix Rogers) In the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side sits the J.J. Walser House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1903. A local organization is working to preserve the landmark and transform it into a community asset for generations to come. Read more >

Latino Voices

On the Pass: Chef Carlos Garza on What It Takes to Keep a Restaurant Running

Chef Carlos Garza at Carnivale. (WTTW News) Chef Carlos Garza heads the kitchen at one of Chicago’s biggest and most recognizable restaurants, Carnivale. He said Carnivale’s pan-Latin menu reflects the way he thinks about food — a connecting of cultures. Read more >

Latino Voices

New US Race, Ethnicity Standards Proposed for First Time Since 1997

Census form. (WTTW News) The federal government’s standards haven’t been changed since 1997, two decades after they were created as part of an effort to collect consistent race and ethnicity data across federal agencies when handling censuses, federal surveys and application forms for government benefits. Read more >

Latino Voices

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Feb. 4, 2023 - Full Show

Michael Puente. (WTTW News) Proposed changes to the race and ethnicity boxes on government forms. Welcoming refugees in a new sponsorship program. And giving wellness some Latino flavor. Read more >

Latino Voices

Welcome Corps Program Allows Private Citizens to Sponsor Refugees to US

Refugees. (WTTW News) Refugees to America often find themselves starting from scratch, but a new program is offering everyday Americans a way to give refugees a softer landing. Read more >

Black Voices

Documentary ‘Tomorrow’s Hope’ Tells Story of Early Education Project in Chicago

(Courtesy of "Tomorrow's Hope") Amid the chaos that characterized the last decades of the Robert Taylor Homes in Bronzeville, an ambitious early education program helped the children who lived there flourish. Read more >

Black Voices

How Social Impact Giving is Shaking Up the World of Philanthropy

(Courtesy of Lever for Change) When it comes to philanthropy, it’s usually universities, museums and hospitals that get major donations. But there’s a Chicago organization shaking up that paradigm. Read more >

Black Voices

The State of Early Childhood Education in Illinois

(ePhotographyAustralia / Pixabay) Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed Smart Start program would allow an additional 5,000 kids to go to preschool next year, eventually adding a total of 20,000 slots. The plan would also add money to increase wages for early education providers. Read more >

Black Voices

‘Chi Boy’ Examines Chicago’s Place in Black American History

“Chi Boy: Native Sons and Chicago Reckonings" by Keenan Norris. For young Black boys and men, Chicago can be a cradle and a crucible, a place where they can encounter both endless inspiration and endless despair. In “Chi Boy: Native Sons and Chicago Reckonings,” author Keenan Norris draws connections between the experiences of literary giants and those of his own father. 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

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

New Field Museum Exhibit Showcases Africa’s World of High Fashion

Mbeuk Idourrou collection, Imane Ayissi, Paris, France, Autumn/Winter 2019. (Photo by Fabrice Malard / Courtesy of Imane Ayissi) Photography, film and fabrics are used to write the continent’s expansive story, starting chronologically during the liberation period of the mid-20th century up until today. 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 >

Black Voices

Take a Look Inside the 1903 Frank Lloyd Wright House a Chicago Nonprofit Is Working to Restore

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Walser House, a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2025. (Eric Allix Rogers) In the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side sits the J.J. Walser House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1903. A local organization is working to preserve the landmark and transform it into a community asset for generations to come. Read more >

 

Black Voices

Free Boxing Club Empowers West Side Youth: ‘They Feel the Confidence’

(WTTW News) Roy Flowers started his boxing club in 2021 in the hopes of creating healthy, supportive spaces for the youth in his community. “I just wanted to be the mentor that I wish I had.” Read more >

Latino Voices

‘Like Lightning Struck’: Community Marks 60 Years Since the First Division Street Riot, Puerto Rican Rebellion

(Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum) While events for the community are planned for the entire weekend to celebrate Puerto Rican pride and culture, this year also honors the history of Chicago’s Boricua community — marking the 60-year anniversary of the first Division Street riot. Read more >