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

Hermosa Nonprofit Says It May Have to Close Its Doors Without Additional Funding

Hermosa Neighborhood Association. (WTTW News) Residents on the city’s Northwest Side may be losing access to programs provided by a local community organization. The nonprofit Hermosa Neighborhood Association says it’s set to lose state funding in June. As the grant end date approaches, community organizers are working to figure out what comes next. Read more >

Latino Voices

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Oct. 24, 2024 - Full Show

Chicago has a new shelter plan for migrants and unhoused residents. And are efforts to save monarch butterflies doing more harm than good? A new study suggests that’s the case. Read more >

Latino Voices

Deputy Mayor on Chicago’s New Shelter Approach for Migrants, Unhoused Residents

Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights Beatriz Ponce de León appears on “Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices” on Oct. 24, 2024. (WTTW News) Chicago is set to overhaul its migrant shelter system by the end of this year, capping guaranteed beds at 3,800 for asylum seekers who have been in the city for less than 30 days. This shift is part of the new One System Initiative, designed to streamline services for both migrants and long-term unhoused residents. Read more >

Latino Voices

Free Puppet Shows Blend Theatrics, Classical Music for Dia de los Muertos

(WTTW News) “Day of the Dead LIVE!” is running Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at the Harold Washington Library. The free show will feature larger-than-life puppets, stilt-walkers, skeletons, ghosts and aerialists — plus classical music from pianist Llewellyn Sánchez Werner. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Event Aims to Inspire, Empower Teen Girls: ‘We Are the Change’

Girls attend a "Bold and Brave" events hosted by the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services. (WTTW News) The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services says one of its goals is to empower the next generation of young women. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, March 26, 2025 - Full Show

Brandis Friedman hosts the March 26, 2025, episode of "Chicago Tonight: Black Voices." (WTTW News) What to know about the boycotts facing Walmart, Target and Amazon. And CTU powerhouse Karen Lewis shares her life and legacy in a new memoir. Read more >

Black Voices

Some Consumers Are Boycotting Large Corporations Over DEI Rollbacks. Here’s What to Know

A file photo of a woman shopping. (Jovanmandic / iStock) The first of the boycotts happened last month, with more scheduled in the coming weeks. The effort includes boycotts of various companies and retailers during different time periods. Read more >

Black Voices

The Late Chicago Teachers Union Powerhouse Karen Lewis Explores Her Life, Leadership in New Memoir

(Matt Masterson / WTTW News) The outspoken chemistry teacher led nearly 25,000 teachers on a historic weeklong strike in 2012, changing the way the union organized and negotiated. She died in 2021 at 67 years old. 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

CPS Has a Small Proportion of Black Male Teachers. Educators Say the Representation Is Important

South Shore educator Wayne Issa. (WTTW News) “The more children can see folks that look like them, that talk like them, that understand the cultural nuances they have, the easier it becomes to teach them, the easier it becomes to reach them,” longtime South Shore educator Wayne Issa said. 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 >