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

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 >

Latino Voices

Founder of the National Museum of Mexican Art Set to Retire: ‘The Arts Should Belong to Everybody’

Carlos Tortolero, founder of the National Museum of Mexican Art, on Dec. 21, 2023. (WTTW News) Carlos Tortolero, founder of the National Museum of Mexican Art, is retiring after more than four decades with the museum and Pilsen community hub.  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 >

Black Voices

Community Calls for Change, Accountability After Video Released in Fatal Police Shooting of Dexter Reed

Community members gather outside the 11th District police headquarters on April 9, 2024, hours after video of the fatal police shooting of Dexter Reed was released. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News) The footage of Chicago police officers firing 96 shots at Dexter Reed following a traffic stop has caused outrage with the city’s Black community and led to demands for change — and accountability — for the police officers involved. Read more >

Black Voices

Beyoncé’s New Country Album Highlights How the Genre Has Long Been Shaped by Black Culture

Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album cover. (Credit: Blair Caldwell / Parkwood Entertainment LLC) Black artists and culture have shaped the country genre for generations, pulling from the melodies of Black hymns and incorporating African instruments like the banjo.  Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, April 3, 2024 - Full Show

Anti-violence programs could be seeing more federal dollars. Exploring country music’s roots in Black culture. And the ex-chair of the state Prisoner Review Board speaks out after a tragic death. 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, July 30, 2025 - Full Show

Brandis Friedman hosts "Chicago Tonight: Black Voices" on July 30, 2025. (WTTW News) How a national civil rights organization is challenging the Trump administration. And meet the DJ sisters who are making their Lolla debut this weekend. 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 >