Latino Voices

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 >

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 >

Black Voices

Black Voices

Curating Sounds and Tastes: Meet 2 Chicagoans Working to Make the Obama Presidential Center a Success

Visitors enjoy lunch in Tafari’s Kitchen at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago on May 12, 2026. (The Obama Foundation) There are a host of locals who acted as the behind-the-scenes cast to prepare the Obama Presidential Center for its opening ceremony. Read more >

Black Voices

From a Replica Oval Office to Michelle Obama’s Dresses, What’s Inside the Obama Presidential Center

Visitors experience the “Yes We Can” installation at the Obama Presidential Center Museum on March 1, 2026. (The Obama Foundation) WTTW News visited the Obama Presidential Center for a firsthand look at the exhibits, installations and everything in between. Read more >

Latino Voices

Big Booming Bass Trombone with the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative

Rafael Noriega performs on the bass trombone, Feb. 1 2021. (WTTW News) Brooks College Prep senior Rafael Noriega, 17, shows off the singular sound of the bass trombone in a performance of Concerto in One Movement by composer Alexander Lebedev. Read more >

Latino Voices

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, May 15, 2021 - Full Show

Chicago’s Board of Education on what the search for the next CPS CEO will look like. A permitting delay for a metal-shredding company. And a musical profile with a 14-year-old oboist. Read more >

Latino Voices

Board of Education President on Finding New CPS Chief

Chicago Board of Education President Miguel del Valle appears on “Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices” on May 15, 2021. (WTTW News) Chicago Public School officials say they hope to have a new CEO selected by late July. Miguel del Valle, the head of the Chicago Board of Education, joins us to discuss the process of picking the next chief. Read more >

Latino Voices

Permit for Southeast Side Metal Shredding Facility Paused After EPA Steps In

This file photo shows the former site of General Iron in the Lincoln Park neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago. (WTTW News) Southside Recycling has long planned a move to the Southwest Side. But last week, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency asked Mayor Lori Lightfoot to conduct an environmental justice assessment in the community before allowing the company to operate. Read more >

Black Voices

Notes on Jazz: ‘Bebop Fairy Tales’ Riffs on History

Jazz is the foundation of Mark Ruffin’s entire career as a music historian, journalist and broadcaster. In this week’s Black Voices Book Club selection, the principles of jazz composition also inspired his fictional takes on topics of race and intolerance. Read more >

Black Voices

‘Our People’ 1968 Interview: Sammy Davis Jr.

Sammy Davis Jr. appears on WTTW’s “Our People” in 1968. (WTTW) In this recently rediscovered interview, the Grammy Award-winning actor talks with “Our People” host Jim Tilmon about how media representations affect popular perceptions. Read more >

Black Voices

‘Our People’ 1968 Interview: Diahann Carroll

A still image from video shows an interview with Diahann Carroll on “Our People.” (WTTW) Black women’s hair, particularly in the workplace, has been the subject of endless discussion in recent years. In this rediscovered 1968 interview from the WTTW show “Our People,” actor Diahann Carroll tells a story that demonstrates it’s not exactly a new issue. Read more >

Black Voices

Deputy IG: Senior Police Leadership Failed Front-Line Officers and Public During May Unrest

The author of a scathing report from the city’s Office of Inspector General says the senior leadership of the Chicago Police Department failed both their front-line officers and the public during the unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. 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

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

Mental Health Advocates Work to Address Cultural Stigmas, Break Down Barriers to Care in Chicago

(Courtesy of Sista Afya) Some of the city’s most vulnerable populations are still facing barriers of access when it comes to receiving equitable health care. The Black community faces notable obstacles when it comes to addressing mental illness. 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 >

Black Voices

From a Replica Oval Office to Michelle Obama’s Dresses, What’s Inside the Obama Presidential Center

Visitors experience the “Yes We Can” installation at the Obama Presidential Center Museum on March 1, 2026. (The Obama Foundation) WTTW News visited the Obama Presidential Center for a firsthand look at the exhibits, installations and everything in between. Read more >

 

Black Voices

South Side Residents Voice Gentrification Concerns Ahead of Obama Presidential Center Opening

The Women’s Garden at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago on Thursday, May 14, 2026. (The Obama Foundation) Despite years of organizing and city ordinances being put in place, rising housing costs and investor activity continue to threaten gentrification in neighborhoods surrounding the Obama Presidential Center. Read more >

Latino Voices

‘Like Lightning Struck’: Community Marks 60 Years Since the First Division Street Riot, Puerto Rican Rebellion

(Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum) While events for the community are planned for the entire weekend to celebrate Puerto Rican pride and culture, this year also honors the history of Chicago’s Boricua community — marking the 60-year anniversary of the first Division Street riot. Read more >