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

Logan Square Resale Shops Offer Style, Sustainability, and Savings

The offerings in Vintage Frills are sorted by color and era, from the ‘60s to the 2000s. (WTTW News) Shopping second hand is growing in popularity as an affordable and eco-friendly way for young fashionistas to carve out a style niche for themselves. Two shops in Logan Square are hoping they can capitalize on that trend by adding a touch of luxury. Read more >

Latino Voices

Latinos Lag in Vaccination as FDA Panel Recommends Moderna, J&J Boosters for At-Risk Adults

In Latino communities, rates of initial vaccination are still lagging with just 52% of Latinos in Chicago having completed their vaccine series according to the city’s public data portal. (WTTW News) An advisory panel with the Food and Drug Administration is recommending that the agency authorize COVID-19 booster shots for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. However, in Latino communities, rates of initial vaccination are still lagging. Read more >

Latino Voices

Students Want Answers, Action After Classmates ‘Protest’ Spanish Song at School Dance

A video showing a group of Marist High School students kneeling during a Spanish song played at a school dance has gone viral. And some students want action to be taken. (WTTW News) A video showing a group of Marist High School students kneeling during a Spanish song played at a school dance has gone viral. And some students want action to be taken. Read more >

Latino Voices

Meet the Illinois Latina Conservationist Fighting Fire with Fire

Ruth Campos works as a burn crew member and she wants more women – especially women of color to join her. (Courtesy The Nature Conservancy) Ruth Campos works as a burn crew member. She uses controlled burns to restore life to landscapes. In the last year, she has traveled to Minnesota and California to help battle wildfires, and she wants more women – especially women of color to join her. Read more >

Black Voices

Illinois’ Energy Bill a Power Surge for Equity Efforts

Illinois’ gigantic new energy law will change the source of the state’s power into the future. (Nuno Marques / Unsplash) The state’s gigantic new energy law will change the source of Illinois’ power. The package aims to move Illinois to carbon-free energy by 2045, but it also serves to tip the scales in terms of who makes up the transforming energy industry. Read more >

Black Voices

On South and West Sides, Business is Blooming for Eco-Friendly Florist

A young flower farmer creates a bouquet at Southside Blooms. (WTTW News) A fresh floral arrangement is a quick way to brighten up a room, but those buds and blossoms likely came from farms hundreds or even thousands of miles away. A local organization is on a mission to change that. Read more >

Black Voices

New Documentary Explores Life, Legend of Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali talks with the press after winning back the Heavyweight Championship for an unprecedented third time by beating Leon Spinks at the Super Dome in New Orleans, LA. Sept. 15, 1978. (Courtesy of Michael Gaffney) At an early age he identified himself as “The Greatest” and backed up his words inside and out of the boxing ring. Filmmaker Ken Burns joins “Black Voices” to discuss the sweeping new four-part documentary “Muhammad Ali.” Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, September 19, 2021 - Full Show

Solving what may be dozens of cases of missing or killed Black women in Chicago. The epic life of Muhammad Ali with two men who knew him well — in different ways. And helping young people bloom. 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

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Aug. 28, 2024 - Full Show

A look at how Black men could impact the outcome of this year’s presidential race. And we explain the history of redlining and how it began in Chicago. 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 >