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 Tonight: Latino Voices, Jan. 16, 2025 - Full Show
Local activists share plans to demonstrate on Inauguration Day. Two Chicago colleges are offering free tuition. And conservation efforts aimed at protecting monarch butterflies.
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Roosevelt University, UIC Launch Free Tuition Programs for Low-Income Students
Low-income Illinoisans feeling the weight of college tuition might soon get a bit of a relief.
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Activists to Protest Outside Chicago’s Trump Tower on Inauguration Day
The People’s March for Justice is part of a national coalition fighting against the goals of the incoming administration.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Jan. 9, 2025 - Full Show
Some alderpeople push to weaken Chicago’s sanctuary city ordinance. And we explore why a Pilsen church is moving its masses online.
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New Documentary Showcases Southside Blooms, Importance of Environmental Education
For years, Southside Blooms has been beautifying blocks one flower at a time. The new documentary “In Our Nature” digs into the nonprofit’s work and highlights environmental educators planting the seeds of meaningful change.
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Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, June 18, 2025 - Full Show
City Council narrowly approves a “snap curfew.” And a wrongfully convicted man gets a settlement after almost three decades behind bars.
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Chicago’s ‘Snap Curfew’ and How the Approved Ordinance Could Affect Teens
The Chicago City Council on Wednesday passed the "snap curfew" ordinance by a vote of 27-22. Mayor Brandon Johnson has pledged to veto it.
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Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, June 11, 2025 - Full Show
The mayor says the city is ready for large-scale protests this weekend. And exploring the challenges facing many Black fathers.
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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
Steppenwolf’s ‘Windfall’ Explores a Father’s Grief and the Value of a Life
A son lost in a clash with the police. A huge cash settlement on the table. And a father torn between staying put in Chicago or starting anew. That all-too-real dilemma is what underpins the play “Windfall,” a new work written by Oscar-winning Steppenwolf ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney.
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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