Latino Voices

Latino Voices

Spanish Is Fading Across Generations. These Latino Parents Are Working to Keep It Alive

(WTTW News) 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 >

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

Black Voices

Smithsonian Head Lonnie Bunch on Preserving History, Retirement and Trump Administration Threats

FILE - Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch speaks at an event, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo / Allison Robbert, File) 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. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago State University Gears Up for First-Ever Football Game

The Chicago State University football team at practice. (WTTW News) 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 >

Latino Voices

New Law Requires Many Illinois Companies to List Salary Range in Job Postings

A file photo of an office. (WTTW News) In addition to requiring the salary range being made public, the law also requires companies to internally post opportunities for advancement. Read more >

Latino Voices

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Dec. 26, 2024 - Full Show

Seeking parole after 47 years in prison — a new documentary explores one man’s journey. And how different Latino cultures are celebrating the new year. Read more >

Latino Voices

New Documentary Examines One Man’s Journey and the Politics of Parole in Illinois

A still of Ronnie Carrasquillo from the documentary “In Their Hands.” (Footage provided) Ronnie Carrasquillo served nearly 47 years in prison before being released. A new documentary, “In Their Hands,” highlights his journey while raising questions about mass incarceration, the parole system and the meaning of getting a second chance. Read more >

Latino Voices

How Different Latino Cultures Are Ringing in the New Year in Chicago

(WTTW News) With New Year’s Eve quickly approaching, people are already planning how to step into 2025 with their best foot forward. In Latino cultures that could mean practicing traditions like eating 12 grapes under a table, wearing white or light-colored clothing or deep cleaning. Read more >

Black Voices

‘State of Black Chicago’ Report Outlines Path to Wealth Building in Black Communities

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) The report draws from research from the New School’s Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, which found that in 2024 the median net worth for Black Chicago-area households was zero dollars — compared to $210,000 for White households. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, May 28, 2025 - Full Show

Brandis Friedman hosts the May 28, 2025, episode of "Chicago Tonight: Black Voices." (WTTW News) Lawmakers still figuring out how to fill the state’s budget gap. A new opera on lesser-known Black heroes. And journalist Jonathan Capehart has a new memoir. Read more >

Black Voices

Columnist Jonathan Capehart Gets Personal in New Memoir ‘Yet Here I Am’

Jonathan Capehart appears on "Chicago Tonight: Black Voices" on May 28, 2025. (WTTW News) A Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, editor, columnist, PBS NewsHour political analyst and MSNBC host lays it all bare in his new book. Read more >

Black Voices

‘She Who Dared’ Opera Showcases Black Female Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement

The cast of “She Who Dared” rehearses ahead of the opera’s June 2025 run at the Chicago Opera Theater. (Michael Brosilow) The opera spotlights the women who challenged segregation in Montgomery, using classical music infused with sounds of gospel, jazz and the blues to tell the story centered around seven women. 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

Spanish Is Fading Across Generations. These Latino Parents Are Working to Keep It Alive

(WTTW News) 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

Free Doula Program Seeks to Address Health Disparities for South Side Mothers

The South Side Healthy Community Organization and the Chicago Birthworks Collective are partnering to provide free doula services to South Side mothers who are uninsured or on Medicaid. (WTTW News) The South Side Healthy Community Organization and the Chicago Birthworks Collective are partnering to provide free doula services to South Side mothers who are uninsured or on Medicaid. Read more >

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

Chicago State University Gears Up for First-Ever Football Game

The Chicago State University football team at practice. (WTTW News) 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

The city of Gary, Ind., is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News) 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

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 >