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.
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
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.
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 >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.
Read more >Latino Voices
Meet the Illinois Latina Conservationist Fighting Fire with Fire
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 >Latino Voices
La Ultima Palabra: ‘Astro’ Joe Guzman
Chicago at night is a dazzling sight — but the skyline and streetlamps that light up our evenings also make it harder to see the natural wonders of the night sky. Still, Chicago Astronomer founder Joe Guzman, better known as Astro Joe, says there’s plenty to see — you just need to know how to look.
Read more >Latino Voices
Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, October 9, 2021 - Full Show
DACA recipients experiencing renewal delays. Plus, the local impact of National Coming Out Day. And a new mural celebrating Latinos in baseball. On “Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices’” 50th show.
Read more >Black Voices
On South and West Sides, Business is Blooming for Eco-Friendly Florist
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
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 >Black Voices
New Missing Persons Project To Focus on Women and Girls in Illinois
Black women and girls in the U.S. are disproportionately at risk for abuse, exploitation and homicide. In the Chicago area, an alarming number of Black women and girls have gone missing. Can a new initiative help find them?
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
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
Illinois Doesn’t Have Parole. A Group of Incarcerated Men is Working to Change That
Parole Illinois was formed by men who are incarcerated in Illinois prisons. They’re working to reinstate the parole system after it was abolished in the state in 1978.
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.
Read more >