Latino Voices
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 >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.
Read more >Black Voices
Black Voices
‘Other Washingtons’ Art Installation Aims to Reimagine Who We Choose to Remember
“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
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
Local Tech Startup Opens Fund for Latino-Owned Businesses: ‘Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is’
This week, CASHDROP founder Ruben Flores-Martinez announced he is putting $1 million of his own equity into what he calls the Latino Renaissance Fund, which will be distributed to 1,000 Latino-owned businesses.
Read more >Latino Voices
Chicago’s Neighborhood Small Businesses Hope for Happy Holiday Shopping Season
Between supply chain problems, inflation and the shadow of a pandemic, the outlook for small retail and food businesses continues to be uncertain this holiday season.
Read more >Latino Voices
Christmas Concert Looks to Transport Audience to 17th Century Mexico
The Newberry Consort is celebrating the holiday season with an annual concert exploring 17th century Mexican Christmas music.
Read more >Latino Voices
Put a Little Jingle into Your Holiday Jams with Sandra Treviño
If you’ve heard “El Burrito Sabanero” one too many times, a local music journalist has some suggestions for adding a little more jingle to your holiday jams.
Read more >Black Voices
New Cannabis License Process Aims to Focus on Social Equity
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced the latest timeline and application process for obtaining a cannabis dispensary license.
Read more >Black Voices
In New Book, Last Surviving Witness to Emmett Till Lynching Seeks to Correct Narrative
In “A Few Days of Trouble: Revelations on the Journey to Justice for My Cousin and Best Friend, Emmett Till,” the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. gives a firsthand account of those terrible days.
Read more >Black Voices
More Chicago Families Turning to Private, Charter Schools as CPS Enrollment Declines
Chicago Public Schools has been working to combat declining enrollment and funding challenges — but a significant number of low-income families of color are leaving the district. Between 2019 and 2022, CPS lost nearly 37,000 students.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Jan. 14, 2023 - Full Show
The last living witness to the Emmett Till lynching tells his story in a new book. We sit down with him and his co-author. Affordable housing was a focus of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s work in Chicago — a look at where we are today.
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
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
As Trump Administration and Some Private Companies Move Away From DEI, Advocates Say Programs Are Still Needed
Backers of Trump’s decision say DEI practices were discriminatory and promoted inequity. But advocates argue social equity initiatives are essential to create a fair and balanced society.
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.
Read more >Black Voices
Take a Look Inside the 1903 Frank Lloyd Wright House a Chicago Nonprofit Is Working to Restore
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’
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
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 >