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

Latina-Led Program Helps Survivors of Abuse Take Control of Their Finances

A Chicago organization, Mujeres Latinas En Accion, is launching a new program aimed at providing survivors of domestic abuse the financial literacy tools they may need to achieve economic stability. (WTTW News) The Chicago organization Mujeres Latinas En Accion is launching a new program aimed at providing survivors of domestic abuse the financial literacy tools they may need to achieve economic stability. We speak with Lupe Ceniceros about the initiative. Read more >

Latino Voices

La Ultima Palabra: Marisel Vera

Novelist and Humboldt Park native Marisel Vera gives la ultima palabra on what she says has to be done to save Puerto Rico’s future. (WTTW News) The Humboldt Park native and author of “The Taste of Sugar” gives us the last word on giving Puerto Rico a brighter future. Read more >

Latino Voices

Moreno Family Has Given Midwestern Twist to Mexican Spirits Since 1977

(WTTW News) Mike Moreno Jr. is the third generation to set up shop in the Little Village community. His grandfather, Jose, owned two grocery stores in the neighborhood, and his father, Mike Sr., opened the first Moreno’s Liquors in 1977. Read more >

Latino Voices

Savor 14 Days of Sabor Latino with Chicago Latin Restaurant Weeks

Executive chef Jesus Delgado prepares lomo saltado. (WTTW News) Chicago restaurants will offer special deals on some of their cultures’ most beloved dishes during the two-week celebration starting Oct. 4. Read more >

Black Voices

Fred Hampton Jr. Seeks Landmark Designation for Hampton House

Hampton House, the childhood home of former Black Panther Party activist Fred Hampton in Maywood. (WTTW News) Slain activist Fred Hampton would have turned 73 years old last month, and though he was killed more than 50 years ago, his memory and legacy still loom large. Now Hampton’s son is seeking a landmark designation for the only surviving building with ties to Hampton’s activism. Read more >

Black Voices

Do Police Officers in CPS High Schools Make Students Safer?

Roberto Clemente Community Academy High School in Chicago. (WTTW News) Whether to keep cops in schools has been a controversial subject for years. With Chicago Public Schools back in session, we hear how some high schools made the choice to remove or maintain the police presence in their hallways. Read more >

Black Voices

CPS Parents Hope for the Best as Students Return to Classrooms

(WTTW News) It’s been more than a year since Chicago Public Schools students have sat inside their classrooms full time. Now, with mask mandates, vaccine requirements for staff and other COVID-19 safety protocols in place, CPS children are about to embark on a year unlike any other. Read more >

Black Voices

Rental Assistance is Slow to Arrive as Eviction Threat Looms

(WTTW News) Renters across the country may soon face eviction now that the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the Biden administration’s extension of the eviction moratorium. We discuss resources available to local renters. 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

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

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 >