Latino Voices

Latino Voices

Grassroots Effort Grows Into Queer-Led Community Hub in Gage Park

Antonio Santos and Katia Martinez founded the Gage Park Latinx Council. (WTTW News) 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

The case and crew of the short film “Mataron A Pedro” at a screening in Chicago. (Carmona Rivera / National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture) 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

Amanda Williams' new art installation around the George Washington statue in Washington Park features artists, inventors, educators and leaders. (WTTW News) “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

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Walser House, a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2025. (Eric Allix Rogers) 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

Hermosa’s Lopez Brothers Bring Mexican Flavors to Craft Beer

(WTTW News) For lovers of a craft brew, Chicago’s beer steins overflow with options, you can belly up to more than 160 craft breweries in the city. But even here, it’s rare to find a microbrew crafted by Latinos. Lucky for Chicagoans, there’s a spot that offers brews with all the flavors of Mexico, created by a pair of hermanos from Hermosa. Read more >

Latino Voices

Big Mural With a Big Message: Artist Asend on ‘Love Always Wins’

(WTTW News) Not many muralists can say their work is seen by hundreds of thousands of people every day, but Chicago artist Asend can make that claim. His towering work on the side of Carnivale Restaurant in the West Loop is hard to miss at its site overlooking the Kennedy Expressway. Read more >

Latino Voices

Abortion Foes, Supporters Map Next Moves After Roe Reversal

Abortion-rights activist rally at the Indiana Statehouse following Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Saturday, June 25, 2022 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo / AJ Mast) A day after the Supreme Court’s bombshell ruling overturning Roe v. Wade ended the constitutional right to abortion, emotional protests and prayer vigils turned to resolve as several states enacted bans and supporters and foes of abortion rights mapped out their next moves. Read more >

Latino Voices

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, June 25, 2022- Full Show

(WTTW News) Reaction to CPD’s new foot pursuit policy and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Plus, closing out Pride Month with a look at what’s next for the LGBTQ movement. And cooling off with a craft cerveza.   Read more >

Black Voices

DuSable Museum Gets New Name, New Look

The museum is now known as the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. (Credit: DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center) The Historic DuSable Museum has a new name. It’s now the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, June 18, 2022 - Full Show

(WTTW News) Juneteenth is officially a federal, state and local holiday. The latest in the local push for reparations. And the tradition of quilting in the Black community. Read more >

Black Voices

University of Chicago Faces Calls for Reparations Over Ties to Slavery; School Says Charges Are Misplaced

(WTTW News) For the last several years, the University of Chicago has faced calls to make reparations for its ties to the slave trade. The university says it was a prior iteration of the school that benefited from slavery, not its current incarnation. As Chicago Tonight’s Nick Blumberg reports, that claim hasn’t quieted calls for the university to acknowledge history and make amends. Read more >

Black Voices

Push for Reparations in Chicago Remains at a Standstill

(WTTW News) As we commemorate Juneteenth, calls are growing louder for reparations, but here in Chicago, there’s been very little movement on the issue. A City Council subcommittee was created two years ago to examine how the city could pay reparations to descendants of enslaved African Americans. But since then, it’s met only twice. 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

Antonio Santos and Katia Martinez founded the Gage Park Latinx Council. (WTTW News) 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

Joakim Noah, Cobe Williams Team Up to Teach Young Men Life Skills Through Basketball League

(Courtesy of One City Basketball League) One City Basketball League encourages young men and boys to build inter-community relationships as they pair basketball with programming to help them create a future that’s not defined by violence. Participants learn about financial literacy, trauma-informed conflict resolution and career readiness. Read more >

Latino Voices

New Short Film Showcases Life, Work of Puerto Rican Activist

The case and crew of the short film “Mataron A Pedro” at a screening in Chicago. (Carmona Rivera / National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture) 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

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Walser House, a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2025. (Eric Allix Rogers) 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’

(WTTW News) 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

(Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum) 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 >