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.
Read more >Latino Voices
Battling Food Insecurity in Chicago’s Latino Communities
As anyone who’s gone grocery shopping recently knows, food prices are on the rise. In Chicago, 28% of Latino families with kids are facing food insecurity according to a study done in 2020. And, families that rely on schools to provide meals for their children are feeling an extra pinch with kids at home during the summer break.
Read more >Latino Voices
Proposed Ordinance Promotes Equitable Transit-Oriented Development
In Chicago, many of the areas with the most public transportation options are also the most expensive to live in. The proposed Connected Communities Ordinance introduced to City Council aims to make public transit options more accessible to all.
Read more >Latino Voices
Highland Park, Highwood Communities Come Together to Heal
The fourth of July shooting shook the north shore and beyond, including the area’s Spanish-speaking community. Two of the seven victims who died were Latino. Neighboring Highwood has a large Latino population and held a vigil earlier this week to remember those who were lost, and those who begin the healing process.
Read more >Latino Voices
Psychedelic Soul Band Late Nite Laundry Creates Sonic Synergy
Local band Late Nite Laundry’s uniquely intimate sound combines dreamy vocals with elements of pop and Latin jazz. At a recording session in Belmont Cragin’s Bim Bom Studios, the foursome explained how for them, delivering that intimate feeling to a live audience starts with taking one deep breath.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, July 9, 2022 - Full Show
A new revelation in the decades-old lynching of Emmett Till, what advocates are calling for. Plus, the nation's first Black attorney general joins us. And the Last Word on Africa and innovation.
Read more >Black Voices
Field Museum Anthropologist Aims to Show Depth of African Innovation
Highlighting African innovation is the goal of the Field Museum’s new assistant curator of African anthropology, Foreman Bandama.
Read more >Black Voices
Discovery of Unserved Warrant in Emmett Till Lynching Case an Emotional Moment for Family
In the basement of a Mississippi courthouse in late June members of the Minnesota-based Emmett Till Legacy Foundation discovered an unserved warrant. Now the foundation, which includes members of Till’s family, is demanding that the warrant be served.
Read more >Black Voices
Black Voices Conversation: Future of Abortion Rights
A Black Voices/Latino Voices crossover conversation on what the future holds for abortion access in the U.S. Leaders of women’s rights organizations worry about how this decision will specifically impact people of color and people with lower incomes.
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
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
Chicago Budget Director on Tense Negotiations: ‘Hindsight is 20/20’
Chicago’s $17.1 billion spending plan is now in place for 2025 — but it didn’t come easily. Forceful pushback from alderpeople blocked property tax hikes — but the budget still includes $165.5 million in additional taxes and fees to generate revenue.
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.
Read more >