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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Chicago Artist Ali Six Creates Mural for Wicker Park
Chicago spring may be fickle, but the recent explosion of public art has also brought some color and life to the city. One local muralist is hoping his 15-foot-high mural in Wicker Park inspires people to find hope. It’s called “The Butterfly Effect.”
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, April 16, 2022
What an end to pandemic border rules could mean for asylum seekers. A new approach to organ donation from Latinos. Previewing the Chicago Latino Film Festival. And mariachi and improv come together.
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What the End of Pandemic Border Restrictions Means for Migrants
Title 42 was issued in March of 2020 as a public health order to expel migrants due to coronavirus concerns. The CDC decided this month that the order is no longer needed.
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Hispanic Transplant Program Encourages Latinos to Become Donors
Dr. Juan Caicedo says it’s important to have culturally appropriate programs to increase and encourage organ donation among Latinos.
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Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, April 2, 2022 - Full Show
A fight for transgender lives. The LGBTQ community speaks out after two Black trans women are found dead. And a preview of “Fire Shut Up In My Bones,” now playing at Lyric Opera.
Read more >Black Voices
‘Fire Shut Up In My Bones’ at Lyric Opera Tells Story of Hurt and Healing
“Fire Shut Up In My Bones” is based on a memoir by longtime New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow. Composed by Terence Blanchard, the story explores how Blow works to heal from traumatic incidents of abuse in his childhood.
Read more >Black Voices
Freedom School Advocates Say $17M Grant Brings Hope for Future Programs
The state recently announced a $17 million grant to build the first state-funded network of Freedom Schools in the country. The schools date back to the 1960s when volunteers traveled to Mississippi to teach Black students how to read and write, along with lessons on constitutional rights and African American history.
Read more >Black Voices
LGBTQ Community Speaks Out Following Deaths of Two Chicago-Area Black Trans Women
Tatiana LaBelle, also known as “Tee Tee,” was found in a trash can, beaten to death in the Chatham neighborhood on March 18. Her death was ruled a homicide. One day later, transgender activist Elise Malary was found dead along the lakefront in Evanston, a week after she was reported missing.
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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
Illinois Congressmen on What Trump’s Victory, Red Wave Could Mean for the State
Former President Donald Trump ran a campaign with messages on mass deportation, higher tariffs and anti-transgender rhetoric that drew in swaths of voters from the coveted swing states needed to secure the win.
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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