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.
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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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Y La Bamba Performs at Wicker Park Fest July 22
Wicker Park Fest returns to Milwaukee Avenue next weekend, and among the musical attractions is Y La Bamba, a West Coast band led by singer, songwriter and guitarist Luz Elena Mendoza.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, July 9, 2022 - Full Show
Healing in the aftermath of the Highland Park mass shooting. Plus, the demand local food pantries are seeing. The push for transit-accessible housing. And a psychedelic soul band.
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Free Ballet Production ‘Rita Finds Home’ Debuts at Navy Pier
A new ballet production made its debut at the Navy Pier Lake Stage. “Rita Finds Home” is a family-friendly production resulting from a collaboration between the Joffrey and Miami City Ballet telling the story of a young artist who is swept from her tropical island home by a hurricane and must make a new life for herself.
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More Than Mariachi: Sones de Mexico’s Mexican Music Camp
The Sones de Mexico Ensemble wants your children to learn all about the richness of Mexico’s musical traditions.Through a partnership, the Grammy-nominated musicians are offering an immersive music and cultural experience for children in their week-long Fiesta Mexicana camp next month.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, July 16, 2022- Full Show
Community members ask why the response to Highland Park was different than responses to deadly weekends in Chicago. Plus, Blackness is Golden and a poetic tribute to powerful Black men and women.
Read more >Black Voices
New Memoir Highlights Bronzeville’s Rich History and Culture
“When Blackness was Golden!: Observation from the front line” is a memoir by Pemon Rami. It’s a coming of age story that gives readers a look into the civil rights movement in Chicago and an era when Black culture and excellence were on the rise.
Read more >Black Voices
The Last Word: Poet Celebrates Powerful Black Men and Women
A Chicago spoken word artist is celebrating Black men and women with a collection of poems praising and acknowledging their accomplishments. Harold Green’s “Black Roses and Black Oak” are odes to celebrities, leaders and changemakers.
Read more >Black Voices
How Location Impacts Our Response to Mass Shootings and Gun Violence
Seven people were killed and 46 others injured in the mass shooting. That same holiday weekend, eight people were killed and 60 others wounded in shootings across Chicago. As support pours in for Highland Park, some Chicago residents are left wondering why the gun violence in the city doesn’t receive the same attention.
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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
A Look Inside Greater Chicago Food Depository’s New Facility, Delivering Nourishing Meals Across the City
The Greater Chicago Food Depository is a non-stop operation serving hundreds of organizations across Chicago and Cook County. With food insecurity still rising, the food bank has opened a new facility focused on preparing hot meals.
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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