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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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Dec. 3, 2022 - Full Show
Supporting small businesses this holiday season. What to expect at the Lady of Guadalupe celebration in Des Plaines. A spotlight on jingle jams and a centuries-old tradition.
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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.
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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.
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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 >Black Voices
Stories of Spirit and Strength in Tulsa’s Greenwood District at ‘A Century of Resilience’ Jan. 29
In her work, Tulsa-based archaeologist Alicia Odewale, Ph.D., is uncovering stories from Tulsa's Greenwood district, which was the site of a vicious racial attack in 1921.
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
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Jan. 21, 2023 - Full Show
More cannabis dispensary licenses are in the works, but social equity applicants say challenges remain. Climate-friendly rides for North Lawndale neighbors. And Pullman National Park gets a new name and designation.
Read more >Black Voices
Equiticity Offers Lawndale Residents Stipends for Climate-Friendly Transportation
The Mobility Opportunities Fund will provide stipends that help limited-income residents of North Lawndale purchase conventional bikes, e-bikes, e-cargo bikes and electric vehicles.
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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
Documentary Uses Body Cam Footage to Examine Fatal 2018 Chicago Police Shooting
The movie is about Harith Augustus, a 37-year-old barber who was shot and killed by police in South Shore in July 2018. The shooting sparked immediate public outcry and legal fights for full access to police body camera video.
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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