Latino Voices

Latino Voices

Spanish Is Fading Across Generations. These Latino Parents Are Working to Keep It Alive

(WTTW News) 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

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

Black Voices

Smithsonian Head Lonnie Bunch on Preserving History, Retirement and Trump Administration Threats

FILE - Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch speaks at an event, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo / Allison Robbert, File) 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

The Chicago State University football team at practice. (WTTW News) 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 >

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 >

Latino Voices

In Chicago, Some Businesses Report Pandemic-Era Drop in Sales Amid Immigration Raids

(WTTW News) “I thought after COVID, like, alright, we’re in the clear,” said Adrian Zamudio, owner of Angelo’s Stuffed Pizza in Archer Heights. “We don’t have to think of anything spontaneous or something to survive anymore. A couple years later, here we are again.” Read more >

Latino Voices

Homeland Security Terminates Automatic Work Permit Renewals; Advocates Say Move Could Broaden Deportation Efforts

(memoriesarecaptured / iStock) The Trump administration says this move allows better vetting of those using work permits. However, some are skeptical of that reasoning. Read more >

Latino Voices

Pilsen Museum Celebrates Día de los Muertos With Vibrant Artwork, Community Ofrenda

“Día de Muertos: A Celebration of Remembrance” is on display at the National Museum of Mexican Art through Dec. 14, 2025. (WTTW News) El Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a tradition that dates back centuries. The Mexican holiday honors deceased loved ones by creating altars and sharing memories. 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 >

Black Voices

CPD Policy That Does Not Ban No-Knock Warrants Leaves Anjanette Young ‘Frustrated’

Anjanette Young joins “Chicago Tonight” on Feb. 3, 2026. (WTTW News) 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 >

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

(WTTW News) 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

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

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

Chicago State University Gears Up for First-Ever Football Game

The Chicago State University football team at practice. (WTTW News) 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

The city of Gary, Ind., is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News) 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

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 >