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.
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.
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Free Virtual Concert ‘Pasión Latina’ Marks a First for Lyric Opera
Lyric Opera of Chicago has plans for a virtual concert Sunday unlike anything it has done before: a Spanish-language concert. We meet some of the artists involved with the premiere of “Pasión Latina.”
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Growing Houseplant Sales Put the Green in Greenery for Local Shops
With the prospect of a long, dreary winter at home ahead, many Chicagoans are fluffing their nests with houseplants. We check in with some local plant shops to see how business is growing.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Nov. 21, 2020 - Full Show
Making COVID-19 vaccine distribution equitable. Hurricanes rip through Central America. Living with and preventing diabetes. How the monarch butterfly builds bridges between the U.S. and Mexico.
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How Advocacy Journalism Can Help Communities
In a year filled with twists and turns, news outlets are more important than ever. We discuss the role of advocacy journalism in effecting positive change for marginalized communities.
Read more >Black Voices
Gale Sayers, Bears Hall of Fame Running Back, Dies at 77
Nicknamed “The Kansas Comet” and considered among the best open-field runners the game has ever seen, Gale Sayers died Wednesday, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Read more >Black Voices
What’s It Like to Be a Black Cop in Chicago in 2020? We Ask 3 CPD Officers
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death and other police killings of Black Americans, calls to defund and reform the police have intensified. At the same time, Chicago is grappling with the coronavirus and a drastic increase in shootings.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Sept. 20, 2020 - Full Show
Chicago’s top doctor on closing the life expectancy gap between Black and White residents. A nonprofit takes stock in local youth. A father and son duo takes us on a tour through “Boarded Up Chicago.”
Read more >Black Voices
New Book ‘Boarded Up Chicago’ Explores Mural Movement Amid Unrest
A father and son documenting the city’s reaction to the police killing of George Floyd turn their images into a new book.
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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
North Lawndale Residents Push Back Against Proposed Logistics Hub Amid Environmental, Traffic Concerns
Developers are pumping the brakes on plans for a controversial logistics and distribution hub in North Lawndale. The project would tear down two buildings preservationists said are historically significant to make way for the nearly 250,000-square-foot facility.
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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