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

Scholarship News Brings Excitement, Joy to Benito Juarez Community Academy

Benito Juarez Community Academy Principal JuanCarlos Ocon appears on “Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices” via Zoom. Feb. 25, 2022. (WTTW News) Nonprofit organization Hope Chicago told students at Benito Juarez Community Academy they were recipients of fully-funded scholarships at their choice of 20 colleges, universities, and other education programs across Illinois. Read more >

Latino Voices

‘Making Mexican Chicago’ Traces History of Mexican Communities in Chicago

In “Making Mexican Chicago: From Postwar Settlement to the Age of Gentrification,” Mike Amezcua explores how the Windy City became a Latinx metropolis in the second half of the twentieth century, offering a powerful multiracial history of Chicago that sheds new light on the origins and endurance of urban inequality. The story of how La Villita and Chicago’s other Mexican enclaves developed is the subject of “Making Mexican Chicago: From Postwar Settlement to the Age of Gentrification.” The book walks the streets of the city’s Mexican communities and explores the history of the forces that shaped them. Read more >

Latino Voices

Where Can You Get Tropical Paczki? Only in Polombia

Peanut butter and jelly paczki from Polombia. (WTTW News) The last day before Lent has many names: Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras. It's also known as Paczki Day when Chicagoans prepare for Lent by indulging in as many of the traditional Polish jam-filled doughnuts as they can eat. Read more >

Latino Voices

New Immersive Exhibit Showcases Works of Frida Kahlo

(WTTW News) We spoke with Frida Kahlo’s grandniece and great-grandniece ahead of the opening of an immersive exhibit showcasing the artist’s work in 360 degrees. Read more >

Black Voices

Black History Month Spotlight: Vivian Harsh, Chicago’s First Black Library Branch Manager

(Credit: Chicago Public Library) To celebrate Black History Month, we’re spotlighting a Chicago Black history maker every week. This week’s history maker is Vivian Harsh, Chicago’s first Black librarian.  Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Feb 5, 2022 - Full Show

(WTTW News) State’s Attorney Kim Foxx on vacating convictions and her relationship with the mayor’s office. Remembering the barrier-breaking 1963 Loyola men’s basketball team. And kicking off Black History Month. Read more >

Black Voices

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx Talks Crime Stats, Jason Van Dyke and Wrongful Convictions in One-on-One Interview

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx joins “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices”  via Zoom Feb. 4, 2022. (WTTW News) Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx joined “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices” to talk about everything from how to tackle crime in Chicago, the controversial release of former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke and her push to address wrongful convictions. Read more >

Black Voices

New Film Tells Story of 1963 Loyola Men’s Basketball Team

(Courtesy O'Malley Creadon Productions) Chicago went wild when the Loyola Ramblers played in the final four of the NCAA tournament in 2018. It was the first time the men’s basketball team made it that far since 1963 when the Ramblers won the school’s only championship title and broke racial barriers while doing so.  But the '63 season was groundbreaking for many reasons, as shown in the new documentary "The Loyola Project." 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

New Northeastern Illinois President Talks Challenges and Opportunities of Leading the Public University

 Northeastern Illinois University President Katrina Bell-Jordan appears on the Oct. 16, 2024, episode of “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices.” (WTTW News) Northeastern Illinois University has certainly seen its fair share of turmoil in recent years, including a narrowly averted strike and the departure of the former university president following a vote of no-confidence by faculty. Now, Katrina Bell-Jordan is officially taking the reins of leadership at NEIU . 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 >