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
Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, October 2, 2021 - Full Show
Calls for better working conditions at El Milagro tortilla factory. Plus, boosting financial stability for domestic violence survivors. And what’s on the plate for Latin Restaurant Weeks.
Read more >Latino Voices
Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, September 25, 2021 - Full Show
A special crossover with Chicago Tonight: Black Voices. A group of journalists breaks down the mayor’s budget proposal. Plus, working in the extreme heat. And the Puerto Rican Festival returns.
Read more >Latino Voices
Latino Voices Crossover: Reporter Roundtable on Mayor’s Budget Proposal
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has unveiled her budget plan for 2022, a plan that one alderman called a “Christmas list” of progressive spending items. We break it all down with four Chicago reporters.
Read more >Latino Voices
‘Too Hot to Work’ Report Looks at Impacts of Extreme Heat on Health, Earnings
A new study finds that extreme heat could threaten nearly $2 billion a year in earnings for outdoor workers in Illinois. We learn about the impact of these increasing temperatures on working conditions.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Westside Sports Aims to Build Community, Life Skills
A group of police officers and community leaders are using their time off to give back to underserved communities by getting young kids to play sports. We head to Columbus Park on the West Side to learn more.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, August 29, 2021 - Full Show
We talk with Chicago Public Schools parents ahead of the return to in-person learning. How renters are faring as financial assistance has been slow to arrive. And getting in the game at Columbus Park.
Read more >Black Voices
The Last Word: Dion Dawson
The founder and executive director of Dion’s Chicago Dream talks about the importance of providing fresh, quality produce to fight food insecurity — and the lessons nonprofits should be learning from the pandemic.
Read more >Black Voices
Will Vaccine Mandates Shut Out Unvaccinated Black Chicagoans?
Vaccine mandates are being put into place in some cities and sectors. Will those policies disproportionately disenfranchise the Black community, which lags behind in vaccination rates?
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
As Harris Campaign Vows to Tackle National Housing Crisis, Chicagoans Weigh in on Proposals
Vice President Kamala Harris made her case for the presidency last week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago where she zeroed in on a problem plaguing many Americans: affordable housing.
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 >