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.
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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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‘La Ultima Palabra’ on Bringing Latino Stories Center Stage
The stories that can be told on a stage are limited only by the storyteller’s imagination. But just who gets to write those stories and bring them to life on Chicago’s stages is too often limited to a privileged few.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Oct. 15, 2022 - Full Show
Challenges facing women post-incarceration. Talking with kids about sexual abuse. Highlighting Latino art. And a sweet treat as Hispanic Heritage month comes to a close.
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Regular Conversations Needed to Protect Kids from Sexual Abuse, Nonprofit Founder Says
For any parent, child sexual abuse is a tough topic to even think about. But as uncomfortable as it might be, talking about sexual abuse with kids is one way parents can help protect them.
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Post-Incarceration, Women Often Face Difficulties Rebuilding Their Lives
Since she returned home after incarceration 22 years ago, Celia Colon has turned much of her energy to helping other women rebuild their post-prison lives through her nonprofit Giving Others Dreams. But she says having a record has hindered her forward progress.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Nov. 19, 2022 - Full Show
Black Twitter isn’t going down without a fight — what that space has meant to the Black community. A look at who profits off the Cook County tax sale. And Woodlawn neighbors caught in traffic as the Obama Center goes up.
Read more >Black Voices
From Nails to Clothing to Walls, Everything is a Canvas for Spifster Sutton
When it came to making her way in the art world, Tacarra “Spifster” Sutton started out small – like, pinky-nail small. But today, Sutton’s intricate nail art, uniquely designed on the spot for each client, is a big deal.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Nov. 12, 2022 - Full Show
A new study and a new lawsuit on the link between hair straighteners and uterine cancer. Inside a call center helping to transform Chatham. And meet artist, architect and now-genius Amanda Williams.
Read more >Black Voices
One Year In, Discover’s Chatham Customer Care Center Is Still Banking on the Community
The ambitious plan included a community center, a technology hub, partnerships to offer free tuition and provisions for contracting with Chatham’s small service businesses.
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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
Members of the Chicago Transgender Community Raise Concerns About Health, Safety After Trump Executive Orders
For many in Chicago’s transgender community, the order and other policies of the new administration are cause for concern. They say the policy focus on transgender people is a distraction from other national issues.
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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