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

A Wet, Warm & Snowless December: What’s Behind the Record High Temperatures

Two people ride bicycles in Chicago on Dec. 28, 2023. (WTTW News) It’s winter in Chicago, but where’s the cold weather and snow? December’s temperatures are averaging about nine degrees higher than normal. Read more >

Latino Voices

From Making Pozole to Playing Lotería, Here’s How Some Chicagoans Are Celebrating the Holidays

(Gonzalo Guzmán García / Pexels) “Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices” host Joanna Hernandez went out to ask people to share what they enjoy about this time of year. Read more >

Latino Voices

Advocates Concerned About Migrants’ Health Amid Reports of Illness, Overcrowding at Chicago Shelters

People outside a migrant shelter in Pilsen. (WTTW News) Elected officials and community leaders are demanding federal aid to help address the needs of Chicago’s migrants. This plea follows the death of 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero — who was living at a migrant shelter in Pilsen. Read more >

Latino Voices

As Armed Robberies Continue, Street Vendors in Little Village Fear for Their Safety

A customer makes a purchase from a Little Village food truck vendor. (WTTW News) Multiple vendors in Little Village say they have been robbed at gunpoint despite efforts to protect them. The latest victims are food truck workers. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, April 17, 2024 - Full Show

The history of housing segregation. The latest from today’s Chicago City Council meeting. And a new book on the unraveling of America’s suburbs. Read more >

Black Voices

New Book ‘Disillusioned’ Explores Racial Inequity, Tension in American Suburbs

“Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America’s Suburbs” by author Benjamin Herold. Author Benjamin Herold shares the story of five families, including the Adesina family in Evanston, in “Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America’s Suburbs.” Read more >

Black Voices

‘Shame of Chicago, Shame of the Nation’ Delves Into Chicago’s History of Segregated Housing

A still from the new docuseries “Shame of Chicago, Shame of the Nation.” (Provided) The new docuseries uses firsthand accounts, archival footage and animation to better explain complex practices like redlining and blockbusting, and how Black families were systemically barred from homeownership. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, April 10, 2024 - Full Show

A look at when Chicago police officers are allowed to use force. And community reaction to the police killing of Dexter Reed following the release of graphic body camera footage. 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

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

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 >