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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Local Doctors Question Move to Drop Mask Mandate for Fully Vaccinated People
Some local doctors say scrapping mask mandates is premature, and increases the risk of COVID-19 for essential workers, many of whom are Latino.
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Summer Water Safety Tips for Pools and Beaches
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer in Chicago and for many that means it’s time to visit the city’s lakefront beaches. But fun in the water can also lead to tragedy.
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Latino Veterans Charter American Legion Post 939 to Build Community
The American Legion counts all who served active duty in any branch of the U.S. armed forces as members. But for young Latino veterans like Marcos Torres and Daniel Del Rivero, it didn’t seem like a place for them.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, May 22, 2021 - Full Show
The restaurant industry is hungry to reopen, but do they have the staff? The pandemic’s impact on Latino studies programs. And a Pilsen photographer captures a changing community.
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Chicago’s Arts Community Sees Wave of New Black Leaders
Chicago’s most storied arts institutions have elevated Black leaders to the helm in the last year. We talk with some of them about how the Chicago arts scene is planning its 2021 comeback.
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Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, March 28, 2021 - Full Show
Evanston makes history by passing a reparations ordinance for Black residents. A “professional troublemaker” joins us for this week’s Black Voices Book Club. Remembering broadcaster Bill Campbell.
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Reparations Blueprint: What Evanston’s Move Means for Rest of US
Evanston has become the first city in the country to offer reparations for Black residents. Last week, aldermen voted to distribute $10 million over the next 10 years, using tax money from the sale of recreational marijuana. We discuss the local and national outlook.
Read more >Black Voices
Remembering Longtime Chicago Broadcaster Bill Campbell
In this 1981 clip from “The Week in Review,” Bill Campbell, who was then in his third year as editorial director at WLS, talks with host Joel Weisman about his signature on-location editorials and deriving meaning from his work.
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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
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, July 10, 2024 - Full Show
Illinois’ reparations commission is set to begin public hearings — a look at what to expect. And a new book explores alternative ways to confront the issue of mass incarceration.
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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