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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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, July 11, 2024 - Full Show
A new plan to preserve affordable housing. Bringing more young people to the Loop this summer. And a bilingual bookstore is hitting the road.
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Bilingual Bookstore for Kids Hits the Road as Chicago Family Seeks to Share Love of Reading
¡Viva! Los Libros just launched a bookmobile. Owners Nina Sanchez and Michael Wren, along with their daughter Vida, are eager to share their love of reading with the community.
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Proposed Ordinance Aims to Preserve Affordable Housing, Stem Displacement on Chicago’s Northwest Side
The ordinance would expand a pilot program around the area of the 606 Trail that has successfully helped stabilize that neighborhood after it began to experience rapid gentrification.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, June 27, 2024 - Full Show
A preview of tonight’s presidential debate showdown between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Exploring the intersection of education and culture. And a new public art exhibit uncovers the history of an ancient civilization.
Read more >Black Voices
Joakim Noah, Cobe Williams Team Up to Teach Young Men Life Skills Through Basketball League
One City Basketball League encourages young men and boys to build inter-community relationships as they pair basketball with programming to help them create a future that’s not defined by violence. Participants learn about financial literacy, trauma-informed conflict resolution and career readiness.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Nov. 20, 2024 - Full Show
New reporting shows efforts to reform the Chicago Police Department are lagging. Celebrating 30 years of the landmark documentary “Hoop Dreams.” And a soaring exhibit about Black excellence in aviation.
Read more >Black Voices
‘Hoop Dreams’ Director, Co-Star Reflect on Documentary’s Legacy 30 Years Later
Six years, two high schoolers, one game. That was the winning combination for the groundbreaking documentary “Hoop Dreams” — which just turned 30 years old. The story follows two Chicago teens with dreams of making it in the NBA in the early ‘90s.
Read more >Black Voices
Exhibit at Navy Pier Showcases Black Excellence in Aviation and Aerospace
The Chicago Children’s Museum is now hosting the “Aim High: Soaring With the Tuskegee Airmen” exhibit, an interactive space that encourages play as a means to learn.
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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, Oct. 1, 2025 - Full Show
Chicago City Council prepares to navigate a billion-dollar budget deficit. And local businessman Willie Wilson on his vision to curb crime in the city.
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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