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

Rogers Park Resident Collects 1,800 Handmade Hats to Help Migrants Keep Warm

A “Hats & Hot Chocolate” event in North Park. (Provided) One Rogers Park resident is making it her mission to help migrants by giving them knitted and crocheted winter hats. She reached out to local and online crafting groups asking if others wanted to do the same. Read more >

Latino Voices

As Migrants Sit for Hours on Buses at City Landing Zone, Volunteers Call for More Communication

A bus is parked at the migrant landing zone in the West Loop. (WTTW News) Of the more than 30,000 migrants that have been sent to Chicago from the southern border, more than 200 were living at the city’s landing zone in the West Loop as of Thursday — using CTA buses as temporary shelters.  Read more >

Latino Voices

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Jan. 11, 2024 - Full Show

Hundreds of migrants are using CTA buses as shelters at the city’s landing zone. Should citizenship be reserved for only those born here? And a community business hub is coming to Little Village. Read more >

Latino Voices

Little Village Community Hub to Connect Local Entrepreneurs to Resources, Programming

Breaking ground at the site of Xquina Incubator & Café on Dec. 5, 2023. (Provided) Little Village is known for its business corridor and its Latino entrepreneurship. A space coming to the heart of the neighborhood is designed to help those without access to resources kickstart a business. Read more >

Black Voices

New DCFS Director Shares Vision for Troubled Agency: ‘It Requires Collaboration’

Heidi Mueller, director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, appears on “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices” on May 8, 2024. (WTTW News) Heidi Mueller was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in February. She is the 13th director in 14 years. Read more >

Black Voices

The Swans of Harlem: How a Group of Pioneering Black Ballet Dancers Are Telling Their Story and Reclaiming Their Place in History

“The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History” (Credit: Penguin Random House) Together they made history under the direction of Arthur Mitchell, co-founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the first Black principal ballet dancer with the New York City Ballet.  Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, May 1, 2024 - Full Show

Addressing homelessness in the Black community. And Chaz Ebert says it’s time to give a FECK — her new book tells us how. Read more >

Black Voices

Illinois Taking Steps to Reduce High Rates of Homelessness in Black Community

File photo of a homeless encampment in Chicago. (WTTW News) A new study found that Black Americans are four times more likely to experience homelessness than their White counterparts. But in Illinois the situation is even worse, researchers found, with Black residents eight times more likely to become homeless at some point in their lives. 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

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Aug. 6, 2025 - Full Show

Brandis Friedman hosts the Aug. 6, 2025, episode of "Chicago Tonight: Black Voices." (WTTW News) Democrats push back against Texas redistricting — despite a potential bomb threat. And an economic boost for a Far South Side community. 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 >