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

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez Announces Independent Bid for Congress

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Jan. 28, 2026. (WTTW News) The Chicago alderperson is running as an independent vying for the seat of outgoing U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García in Illinois’ 4th Congressional District. Read more >

Latino Voices

Exhibit Explores the Influence of Mexican Railroad Workers in Chicago

“Rieles y Raíces: Traqueros in Chicago and the Midwest” is at the National Museum of Mexican Art through April 26, 2026. (WTTW News) “Rieles y Raíces: Traqueros in Chicago and the Midwest” takes a closer look at Mexican railroad workers and how the roots they planted still shape communities today. Read more >

Latino Voices

South Side Native Mayda Alexandra del Valle Chosen as Next Chicago Poet Laureate

As Chicago’s poet laureate, Mayda Alexandra del Valle will commission new works, create public programming and serve as an ambassador for the city’s literary and creative communities. (Courtesy of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events) Mayda Alexandra del Valle will serve a two-year term and receive $70,000 to commission new works and create public programming. As Chicago’s second poet laureate, del Valle will serve as an ambassador for the city’s literary and creative communities. Read more >

Latino Voices

Volunteers Help Immigrant Parents Get Their Kids to School With the ‘Walking School Bus’

Volunteers walk children to school on Chicago’s Northwest Side. (Joanna Hernandez / WTTW News) “The moment that the raids started happening and people started getting pulled off the street, you could just see it,” volunteer Alyssa May said. “You could see less students, less families, less vendors. And it really did change. It just became a really quiet place.” Read more >

Black Voices

UChicago Trauma Center Reduced Travel Time for Shooting Victims, Saving Lives: Study

(WTTW News) A new study found that after the University of Chicago Level 1 Trauma Center opened, transportation time following firearm injuries dropped by nearly 10 minutes. Importantly, this translated to an estimated 79 lives saved for every 2,000 firearm injuries. Read more >

Black Voices

Jesse Jackson’s Daughter on His Leadership and Handling Adversity: ‘He Was Not Going to Back Away’

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is honored at a memorial in Chicago at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters on Feb. 26, 2026. (WTTW News) “Let us continue with the work.” That was the call to action from the family of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights activist and religious leader who died last week at the age of 84. Read more >

Black Voices

‘He Was This Transformational Figure’: Reflecting on the Life and Legacy of the Rev. Jesse Jackson

FILE - Coretta Scott King holds hands while singing with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Christine Farris, the sister of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as they parade on Peachtree Street in Atlanta on Monday, Jan. 19, 1987 to honor King's birthday. At left in Mrs. Alveda king Beall and at right is Lupita Aquino Kashiwahara. (AP Photo / Charles Kelly, File) The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Chicago ties run deep, dating back to the 1960s when he was appointed by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to direct Chicago’s Operation Breadbasket program. Read more >

Black Voices

Black History Month Rings in 100 Years as Educators Push to Preserve Heritage

A file photo of Ida B. Wells. There are efforts from the federal government to reshape how history is taught and examined by institutions. 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

Curating Sounds and Tastes: Meet 2 Chicagoans Working to Make the Obama Presidential Center a Success

Visitors enjoy lunch in Tafari’s Kitchen at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago on May 12, 2026. (The Obama Foundation) There are a host of locals who acted as the behind-the-scenes cast to prepare the Obama Presidential Center for its opening ceremony. 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 >