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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What Lies Ahead for COVID-19 After Omicron Peak?
We’re about to enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. And with news that the omicron wave has passed its peak in Chicago, a light begins to appear at the end of the tunnel. But public health advocates are warning the city’s residents not to let their guards down just yet.
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Creating Policy that Improves Lives of Older Adults
For Latino seniors, issues of language access, health inequities, lower incomes and documentation status can make the daily business of living even more complicated. "Latino Voices" met with an organization aiming to develop a strategic action plan for aging in Illinois.
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La DePaulia Celebrates Two Years Covering Chicago’s Latino Community
In January 2020, student journalists at DePaul University launched a Spanish-language platform reporting on Chicago’s Latino community, La DePaulia. We spoke to editor-in-chief and co-founder María Marta Guzmán and managing editor Erika Perez about the young news outlet’s first two years and their hopes for the future.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, January 22, 2022 - Full Show
A look back, and ahead, as we enter year three of COVID-19. Renewed calls for action over the Little Village smokestack implosion. Helping seniors access resources. And La DePaulia turns two.
Read more >Black Voices
New ABC Series Tells Life of Mamie Till-Mobley
After the abduction and lynching of her son in 1955, Mamie Till-Mobley became a teacher and civil rights activist. Now her life and influence are the focus of a new limited series.
Read more >Black Voices
Showcase of African and African American Artists Comes to Prudential Plaza
The exhibit titled “African Diaspora: Chicago” features 20 collage and acrylic mixed media pieces, all related to Chicago. It opened in May, and a new collection of pieces just went up in November. The current exhibit will run until May 22.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, January 8, 2022 - Full Show
Parents react to this week’s shutdown of Chicago Public Schools. The story of civil rights legend Mamie Till Mobley gets told on the small screen. Plus, a downtown office building partners with a Black-owned art gallery.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, January 1, 2022 - Full Show
A look back at some of our favorite Black Voices stories of 2021— from a look at how tech leaves marginalized people behind, to the Chicago Sky’s history-making WNBA Championship — and so much in between.
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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
Advocates on the Need to Improve Mental Health Care Access on the South, West Sides
Chicago will no longer have members of the police and fire departments on its mental health emergency response teams. The Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program is moving to a new staffing model — with all public health workers.
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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