Latino Voices

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 >

Latino Voices

As Mexico City Prepares to Host World Cup, Residents Say Construction Is Taking a Toll

(Medill School of Journalism) Residents said the rapid construction is destroying local infrastructure, severing the very pipelines that communities depend on for daily life. For many, the disruptions have come with little warning and even less explanation. Read more >

Black Voices

Black Voices

From a Replica Oval Office to Michelle Obama’s Dresses, What’s Inside the Obama Presidential Center

Visitors experience the “Yes We Can” installation at the Obama Presidential Center Museum on March 1, 2026. (The Obama Foundation) WTTW News visited the Obama Presidential Center for a firsthand look at the exhibits, installations and everything in between. Read more >

Black Voices

South Side Residents Voice Gentrification Concerns Ahead of Obama Presidential Center Opening

The Women’s Garden at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago on Thursday, May 14, 2026. (The Obama Foundation) Despite years of organizing and city ordinances being put in place, rising housing costs and investor activity continue to threaten gentrification in neighborhoods surrounding the Obama Presidential Center. Read more >

Latino Voices

New Photo Exhibit Captures Life in Pilsen in the ‘90s

Japanese photographer Akito Tsuda captured life in Pilsen in the 1990s. His photos are currently on display at the Harold Washington Library. (WTTW News) Japanese photographer Akito Tsuda was a student at Columbia College when a class assignment brought him to the Pilsen neighborhood in the 1990s. Now he’s back in the city revisiting the people and places he visited all those years ago. Read more >

Latino Voices

As Pride Month Shines in Chicago, Latino LGBTQ+ Communities Spotlight Youth Services

Center on Halsted (WTTW News) Chicago’s Latino lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer communities are embracing the city’s progress toward equality, while recognizing there’s still work to be done. Particularly when it comes to providing safe and welcoming environments for today’s LGBTQ+ youth. Read more >

Latino Voices

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, June 6, 2024 - Full Show

Officials say more than half of the migrants forced to leave city shelters immediately returned. How Latino communities are celebrating Pride. And meet the first Mexican-born woman to travel to space. Read more >

Latino Voices

At 26, She Became the First Mexican-Born Woman to Travel to Space. Now She’s Working to Encourage the Next Generation

Katya Echazarreta was on the crew of Blue Origin’s NS-21 flight through Space for Humanity. (Courtesy of Blue Origin) Many kids dream of blasting off into space one day — and Katya Echazarreta was no exception. As the first Mexican-born woman to travel to space, she is dedicated to showing other women the sky’s the limit when it comes to reaching their goals. Read more >

Black Voices

New ‘Chicago Stories’ Documentary Explores the Mourning, Destruction That Followed Martin Luther King Jr.’s Assassination

In 1966, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. came to Chicago’s West Side to protest against discriminatory housing practices. The neighborhood went into an uproar following his assassination in 1968, resulting in numerous riots and looting. “When the West Side Burned” outlines the destruction and struggle to recover. Read more >

Black Voices

United Nations Calls Out ‘Racialized Police Violence’ in Chicago

Police vehicle file photo. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) United Nations human rights investigators said in a statement: “These heinous alleged human rights violations appear to a significant extent to be rooted in systemic racism and have disproportionately affected people of African and Latin American descent.” Read more >

Black Voices

As Climate Change Impacts Weather, Project Aims to Reduce Flooding in Chatham Neighborhood

The Chatham neighborhood is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News) The South Side community experiences a large amount of flooding made greater than its counterparts on the North Side because of a lack of preventative infrastructure, which can cause significant damage to homes and businesses. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Oct. 16, 2024 - Full Show

Brandis Friedman hosts the Oct. 16, 2024, episode of “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices.” (WTTW News) The battle over Chicago Public Schools — CEO Pedro Martinez joins us to respond to critics. And a City Council meeting sees alderpeople fired up over CPS and ShotSpotter. 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

‘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 >

Black Voices

Black-Led HIV Prevention Groups Push for More Equitable Funding Amid Federal Cuts

(Jacob Wackerhausen / iStock) Illinois Department of Public Health data shows Black and Hispanic people make up about 73% of HIV and AIDS cases diagnosed in the state since 2018. But U.S. Census data shows the state is only 14% Black and 18% Hispanic. Read more >

Latino Voices

As Mexico City Prepares to Host World Cup, Residents Say Construction Is Taking a Toll

(Medill School of Journalism) Residents said the rapid construction is destroying local infrastructure, severing the very pipelines that communities depend on for daily life. For many, the disruptions have come with little warning and even less explanation. Read more >

Black Voices

South Side Residents Voice Gentrification Concerns Ahead of Obama Presidential Center Opening

The Women’s Garden at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago on Thursday, May 14, 2026. (The Obama Foundation) Despite years of organizing and city ordinances being put in place, rising housing costs and investor activity continue to threaten gentrification in neighborhoods surrounding the Obama Presidential Center. Read more >

 

Black Voices

New Columbia College President on Her Vision for the School’s Future

Shantay Bolton appears on “Chicago Tonight” on June 2, 2026. (WTTW News) Shantay Bolton was appointed the 11th president and CEO of Columbia College Chicago at what she calls a “pivotal moment” for the school. Bolton, who is the first woman of color to lead the minority-serving institution, inherits a campus that has seen enrollment steadily decline over the last decade. Read more >

Latino Voices

From Dancehall to Reggaeton, Exhibit Explores the Power of Music as Protest

Matthew McCarthy and Maxine Walters, “The Most High–a serious t’ing,” 2026. Installation view, “Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón,” MCA Chicago, April 14-Sept. 20, 2026. (Michael Tropea / MCA Chicago) The Museum of Contemporary Art is showcasing a new exhibition tracing the visual, political and spiritual origins of popular Caribbean music. Art installations are designed to immerse visitors in sound and movement. Read more >