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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Free Puppet Shows Blend Theatrics, Classical Music for Dia de los Muertos
“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.
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Runway Latinx Holds Fashion Show for a Cause
This weekend, Runway Latinx is bringing a fusion of fashion designers together to close out Chicago Fashion Week.
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Parents Push Back on Plan to Close 7 Acero Charter Schools
Last week, the Acero charter network announced it would close seven campuses by the end of the school year — impacting more than 2,000 students and 270 teachers. The charter school network cites declining enrollment, rising personnel and facility costs, and a $40 million deficit. But parents and teachers are fighting back, calling for Chicago Public Schools to absorb the closing schools.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Oct. 17, 2024 - Full Show
Parents weigh in as seven charter schools are set to close at the end of the school year. And what's behind an uptick in HIV cases among young, gay Latino men.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, March 26, 2025 - Full Show
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.
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Some Consumers Are Boycotting Large Corporations Over DEI Rollbacks. Here’s What to Know
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
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 >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, March 19, 2025 - Full Show
Universities brace for a loss in funding following federal anti-DEI orders. And the future of police reform amid changes at an agency tasked with investigating officer misconduct.
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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
CPD Policy That Does Not Ban No-Knock Warrants Leaves Anjanette Young ‘Frustrated’
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
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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