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
How Health Care Workers Are Handling COVID-19 Vaccine Concerns
Despite the FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, some people are still hesitant to roll up their sleeves. A local medical professional talks about the reasoning behind some of this reluctancy and how it’s being addressed.
Read more >Latino Voices
Catching Up on Chicago Baseball
As the 2021 baseball regular season winds down, the Cubs and White Sox are headed in different directions. Chicago’s Spanish-language baseball announcers slide in to talk about the teams’ prospects in the postseason and next year.
Read more >Latino Voices
Mexican Independence Day Parade Canceled, Fiesta Boricua Encouraging Vaccination
The pandemic has shut down the Mexican Independence Day Parade for a second year, but Fiesta Boricua is going ahead with its plans. We talk with the event organizers about their decisions.
Read more >Latino Voices
Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, August 28, 2021 - Full Show
Chicago Public School students return to in-person learning — some parents share their thoughts. We discuss controversial gunshot detection technology. And the last word on Latino entrepreneurs.
Read more >Black Voices
West Side Youth Drum Line, Dance Team to Perform at Lollapalooza
Members of East Garfield Park’s Hope Junior Drumline and WestDance Team have been practicing three hours a day, five days a week since late June to prepare for their 10-minute performance at Lollapalooza on Sunday.
Read more >Black Voices
Creative Take on Vision Boarding Aims to Help Entrepreneurs Pursue Their Passions
We meet local entrepreneur Karen Spears, whose “mind-mapping” process helps people figure out the first or next step in starting a business, all while preserving an art form she’s passionate about.
Read more >Black Voices
Lotteries, Licenses and Lawsuits: Attaining Equity in the Cannabis Industry
When recreational marijuana was legalized in Illinois, Gov. J. B. Pritzker’s stated goal was to use the burgeoning industry to reverse the harm done to Black and brown communities during the war on drugs. But those profiting from pot sales are nearly all white men.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, August 1, 2021 - Full Show
Building equity in the cannabis industry. Uncovering the lasting impacts of surviving gun violence. And a throwback performance with blues legend Buddy Guy.
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
How Advocates Are Working to Organize, Energize Black Voters in 2024 Election
A Chicago church is launching a strategic voting initiative, bringing in local and national star power like the Rev. Al Sharpton to engage more Black voters and encourage them to coalesce around one candidate.
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 >