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.
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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.
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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.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, August 21, 2021 - Full Show
A new City Colleges program for students facing financial barriers. A new analysis of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s hiring trends. And a barbershop with a side of vintage music.
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City Colleges to Provide Over 60 Free Short-Term Programs This Fall
New fall programs offered by the City Colleges of Chicago system aim to help city residents start or resume their college education amid the pandemic.
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Del Pueblo Barbers & Records Blends Midwest and Mexican Cultures
Nearly 700,000 Chicago residents claim Mexican heritage, and over the years, Mexican culture has become woven into the city’s tapestry. A new business in Little Village explores the space where the Midwest meets Mexico by combining haircuts with deep cuts.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, August 14, 2021 - Full Show
Chicago Public Schools requires all teachers and staff to get vaccinated — we hear from the district’s interim CEO. A musical collaboration highlights Puerto Rico. Chicago teens learn camping skills.
Read more >Black Voices
‘Aftershocks’ Series Uncovers Lasting Impacts of Chicago Gun Violence
Gun violence is on the rise in Chicago and across the country, and its impact is felt not only by victims, but their families and communities, too. We learn about a new series from The Trace, a national news organization covering gun violence in the U.S.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, July 18, 2021 - Full Show
Keeping teens engaged during the summer. Remembering the life of civil rights icon John Lewis. Helping former drug abusers find a new lease on life. And the end of the state’s eviction ban.
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Get Outside: Organizations Offer Drop-In Activities for Chicago Youth
After a year of being cooped up inside, many Chicago teens are ready to get outside. We talk with youth organizations about low- or no-cost activities young people can do right now and through to the fall.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, July 11, 2021 - Full Show
The challenges Black women face in academia. The striking life expectancy gap between Black and white Chicagoans. The new Ida B. Wells Monument. Leveling the playing field for Black-owned businesses.
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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
Advocates Hope New Illinois Law Helps Lower Maternal Mortality Rate for Black Women
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are two-and-a-half times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than White women. A new state law aims to remedy that by expanding insurance coverage during and after pregnancy.
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.
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