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

‘Other Washingtons’ Art Installation Aims to Reimagine Who We Choose to Remember

Amanda Williams' new art installation around the George Washington statue in Washington Park features artists, inventors, educators and leaders. (WTTW News) “Other Washingtons” is an art intervention located around the George Washington statue at 51st Street and Martin Luther King Drive that features artists, inventors, educators and other inspirational leaders, all with the last name Washington. Read more >

Black Voices

Take a Look Inside the 1903 Frank Lloyd Wright House a Chicago Nonprofit Is Working to Restore

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Walser House, a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2025. (Eric Allix Rogers) In the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side sits the J.J. Walser House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1903. A local organization is working to preserve the landmark and transform it into a community asset for generations to come. Read more >

Latino Voices

Advocates Push Back Against City’s New Shelter Approach for Migrants, Unhoused Chicagoans

File photo of a homeless encampment. (WTTW News) Local organizations are pushing back on Chicago’s plan to merge its migrant shelter operations with its homeless shelter network. The city is set to launch the plan known as the One System Initiative on Jan. 1 with a total of 6,800 shelter beds. Read more >

Latino Voices

Kim Foxx Reflects on Her Challenges, Legacy After 8 Years as Cook County’s Top Prosecutor

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx appears on “Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices” on Nov. 14, 2024. (WTTW News) After eight years in office, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is passing the torch. Foxx was among a cadre of so-called progressive prosecutors to take office around the country eight years ago. She became the first Black woman to assume the role in Cook County, promising to reshape the criminal justice system. Read more >

Latino Voices

Latino Voters Moved Toward Donald Trump, Helping Fuel His Election

According to an exit poll conducted by NBC, 46% of Latinos voted for Trump in 10 key states, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. Historically, Trump surpassed former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, which in turn resulted in the worst showing among Latinos for a Democratic presidential candidate in 20 years. Read more >

Latino Voices

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Nov. 7, 2024 - Full Show

City Council members push back on the mayor’s property tax hike proposal. We unpack the swing of Latino support that helped fuel Donald Trump’s reelection. And congressional reaction to the new president-elect. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, April 16, 2025 - Full Show

Brandis Friedman hosts "Chicago Tonight: Black Voices" on April 16, 2025. (WTTW News) An effort to ban Jan. 6 participants from city jobs. What’s behind disparities in pregnancy-related deaths. And Stacy Davis Gates on the new CTU contract. Read more >

Black Voices

Research Shows Racial Disparities in Pregnancy-Related Deaths. What’s Being Done to Address It

(PeopleImages / iStock) New research shows the rate of women dying from pregnancy-related medical conditions has worsened in recent years. And Black women are three times as likely to die of such an illness as White women. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Public Schools Moves Forward With Black Student Success Plan Amid National DEI Backlash

CPS headquarters. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) The Black Student Success Plan aims to bring in more Black teachers, reduce suspensions against Black students, promote teaching on Black culture, increase belonging and close opportunity gaps. It provides a five-year roadmap to improve the outcomes of Black students, who make up a third of the district’s population. Read more >

Black Voices

How Chicago’s New Public Housing Museum Took Direction From the Community: ‘It Was Surreal When We Walked In’

The exterior of the National Public Housing Museum. (Courtesy of the National Public Housing Museum) Chicago is now home to the National Public Housing Museum, a first of its kind institution created alongside people who’ve lived in public housing. 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

CPD Policy That Does Not Ban No-Knock Warrants Leaves Anjanette Young ‘Frustrated’

Anjanette Young joins “Chicago Tonight” on Feb. 3, 2026. (WTTW News) A new Chicago Police Department policy that does not ban officers from serving no-knock warrants or from pointing guns at children during raids is now final. 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

Take a Look Inside the 1903 Frank Lloyd Wright House a Chicago Nonprofit Is Working to Restore

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Walser House, a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2025. (Eric Allix Rogers) In the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side sits the J.J. Walser House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1903. A local organization is working to preserve the landmark and transform it into a community asset for generations to come. Read more >

 

Black Voices

Free Boxing Club Empowers West Side Youth: ‘They Feel the Confidence’

(WTTW News) Roy Flowers started his boxing club in 2021 in the hopes of creating healthy, supportive spaces for the youth in his community. “I just wanted to be the mentor that I wish I had.” 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 >