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.
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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, April 3, 2021 - Full Show
President Biden’s immigration policy. What shutting down payday loans could mean for vulnerable borrowers. And blending Mexican flavors and Jewish pastries.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, March 27, 2021 - Full Show
Can industry and healthy neighborhoods coexist? Puerto Ricans weigh independence and statehood. And an organization helps the visually impaired maintain their independence.
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Puerto Ricans May Soon Get Say on Island’s Long-Term Territorial Status
The Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act calls for the creation of a “status convention” of delegates elected by Puerto Rican voters to determine the island’s long-term territorial status, whether that be statehood, independence, or perhaps a variation on the current arrangement.
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The Chicago Lighthouse Leads Residents to Independence and Employment
The Chicago Lighthouse offers children’s education, vision care, rehabilitation and job training for the blind, visually impaired, disabled and veteran communities and employs them in a variety of capacities.
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Chicago Poet Leslé Honoré Talks ‘Brown Girl, Brown Girl’
Following the election of Kamala Harris as vice president in November, Chicago poet Leslé Honoré updated a poem she wrote in 2017 to celebrate the historic nature of Harris’ win.
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Lawndale Legacy: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Fight for Fair Housing
On the 55th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s arrival in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood, we revisit the work he did to end slum conditions and combat discriminatory housing practices.
Read more >Black Voices
Reopening Schools: Are CPS Buildings Making the Grade?
For the first time in 10 months, some Chicago Public Schools students are set to return to their school buildings Monday. What parents can expect — and what critics of the plan have to say.
Read more >Black Voices
State of Vaccination: How Illinois Can Build Trust Among Black Residents
What state governments are doing — and what some think they should be doing — to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in the Black community.
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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, June 26, 2024 - Full Show
The death of a man incarcerated at Stateville prison has advocates asking questions. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s promises big advancements in mental health care access. And how even the slowest runners can embrace the sport.
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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