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

Latina Entrepreneurs Help People Find Ways to Wellness

Juice Vibe Bar in Berwyn. (WTTW News) Fitness instructor NK Gutierrez and juice bar owner Anabelle Martinez are helping people meet their wellness goals. Read more >

Latino Voices

MCA Chicago Speaks Spanish to Art Lovers

(WTTW News) The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago has launched its first major bilingual exhibit. The museum plans to present everything, from its website to wayfinding signs, in both Spanish and English by 2024. Read more >

Latino Voices

Addressing Childhood Obesity in the Latino Community

(WTTW News) Latino CPS students are more likely to be overweight or obese than other demographics, data shows. Latino CPS kindergartners in 2020 had an average overweight or obesity rate of nearly 39%; by ninth grade, the average rate climbed to almost 49%. Read more >

Latino Voices

Proposed Ordinance Offers Course Correction for False Claims Against Gig Workers

(Petr Kratochvil / Public Domain Pictures) Activists said "bad actors" lie about rideshare and delivery drivers to avoid paying. The Chicago ordinance would allow app drivers accused of misconduct to share their story and recoup income if they were found to be unfairly deactivated. 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 >

Black Voices

Oscars (Still) So White? 2023 Academy Awards Continue to Lack Representation

A still from “The Woman King.” (Sony Pictures) The 2023 Academy Awards will see historic Asian representation, but the Oscars are still coming under fire over issues of representation, even eight years after the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite led to a reckoning within the Academy. Read more >

Black Voices

Get to Know ‘Good Father Gus’ at Evenings with Tolton Events

Augustus Tolton was the first recognized African American Roman Catholic priest. (Provided) The first recognized African American Roman Catholic priest is on the road to sainthood. Augustus Tolton’s journey from enslaved child to priest is the subject of a series of events happening at the Tolton Heritage Center in Bronzeville. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, March 4, 2023 - Full Show

(WTTW News) New research shows that childbirth is still much deadlier for Black women — even those with the highest incomes. A new podcast retells a Bridgeport hate crime. And the Green Book for Black motorists during the Jim Crow era. 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

From the ‘40s to Today, A Look at the History of the Chicago Dance Style Known as Steppin’

Two people steppin' at an event. (Provided) “Chicago is the steppin’ capital of the world.” That’s a phrase coined by local DJ Sam Chatman, also known as the Godfather of Steppin’. And though the dance craze’s popularity has spread far and wide, no one can do it quite like the hometown originators. 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 >