Latino Voices

Thursdays at 5:30 and 10 pm

Latino Voices

Venezuela’s Ruling Party Maintains Control Amid Election Boycotts. What That Means Going Forward

A file photo of an election site in Venezuela. (WTTW News via CNN) Latin America is in the midst of a crucial election year in countries including Venezuela, whose ruling party claimed another win last month amid opposition boycotts. Advocates say last month’s results could further roil the country’s political landscape. Read more >

Latino Voices

Local Illustrator Explores Growing Up in an Immigrant Household in New Children’s Book

An image from “Tíos and Primos” by Jacqueline Alcántara. (Courtesy of Penguin Random House) Writer and illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara draws from her own childhood to help kids navigate their diverse identities in her new book called “Tíos and Primos” — Spanish for “aunts, uncles and cousins.” Read more >

Black Voices

Wednesdays at 5:30 and 10 pm

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Sept. 3, 2025 - Full Show

Brandis Friedman hosts the Sept. 3, 2025, episode of "Chicago Tonight: Black Voices." (WTTW News) Community groups prepare for federal troops in Chicago. And the city’s minimum wage for tipped workers is going up — a look at the impact. Read more >

Black Voices

How Chicago’s Changes to Tipped Minimum Wage Are Impacting Businesses, Workers

(DGLimages / iStock) While Mayor Brandon Johnson and advocates say phasing out the tipped minimum wage helps the city’s lowest-paid workers, critics worry about the higher labor costs facing restaurants. Read more >

Latino Voices

Bill Would Require Proof of Citizenship to Vote. Here’s What to Know About the SAVE Act

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) Republican lawmakers are championing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act that would require voters to show proof of citizenship like a REAL ID, a passport, a birth certificate or other eligible documentation. Read more >

Latino Voices

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Feb. 6, 2025 - Full Show

Joanna Hernandez hosts "Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices" on Feb. 6, 2025. (WTTW News) The Trump administration is targeting Illinois over its protections for undocumented immigrants. And how deportations could affect Illinois’ farming industry. Read more >

Latino Voices

Illinois Farm Workers, Consumers on Alert Amid Mass Deportation Threats

A file photo of a farm. (WTTW News) Undocumented immigrants account for 16% of America’s food supply chain, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 42% of farm workers are lacking legal immigration status. Read more >

Latino Voices

How Trump’s Proposed Tariffs on Mexican Imports Could Impact Businesses, Consumers

A file photo of shipping containers. (WTTW News via CNN) Fears are heightening over the potential of a new trade war and its possible impact across the country. President Donald Trump has agreed to a temporary pause on the 25% tariffs he is proposing on goods from Mexico and Canada — the country’s two largest trading partners. Read more >

Black Voices

With New Head Coach, Chicago State University Works to Launch Division I Football Program

Chicago State University football coach Bobby Rome II (center) appears at a press event. (Courtesy of Chicago State University) Chicago State University hired its first-ever head football coach, Bobby Rome II. Rome is tasked with building the school’s new Division I football program from the ground up. The university doesn’t have a stadium, equipment or players just yet. Read more >

Black Voices

‘State of Black Chicago’ Report Outlines Path to Wealth Building in Black Communities

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) The report draws from research from the New School’s Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, which found that in 2024 the median net worth for Black Chicago-area households was zero dollars — compared to $210,000 for White households. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, May 28, 2025 - Full Show

Brandis Friedman hosts the May 28, 2025, episode of "Chicago Tonight: Black Voices." (WTTW News) Lawmakers still figuring out how to fill the state’s budget gap. A new opera on lesser-known Black heroes. And journalist Jonathan Capehart has a new memoir. Read more >

Black Voices

Columnist Jonathan Capehart Gets Personal in New Memoir ‘Yet Here I Am’

Jonathan Capehart appears on "Chicago Tonight: Black Voices" on May 28, 2025. (WTTW News) A Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, editor, columnist, PBS NewsHour political analyst and MSNBC host lays it all bare in his new book. Read more >

Support for CHICAGO TONIGHT: LATINO VOICES is provided by The Chicago Community Trust.

Additional support is provided by Lloyd A. Fry Foundation and Julian Grace Foundation.

Support for CHICAGO TONIGHT: BLACK VOICES is provided by The Chicago Community Trust.

Additional support is provided by Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Julian Grace Foundation, and Gertrude Dyane and James H. Wooten, Jr..


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

Thursdays at 5:30 and 10 pm

Black Voices

Wednesdays at 5:30 and 10 pm

Latino Voices

Venezuela’s Ruling Party Maintains Control Amid Election Boycotts. What That Means Going Forward

A file photo of an election site in Venezuela. (WTTW News via CNN) Latin America is in the midst of a crucial election year in countries including Venezuela, whose ruling party claimed another win last month amid opposition boycotts. Advocates say last month’s results could further roil the country’s political landscape. Read more >

Black Voices

Interim CPS CEO Macquline King on Budget Proposal, Borrowing and City Pensions

Interim CPS CEO Macquline King appears on “Chicago Tonight: Black Voices” on Aug. 27, 2025. (WTTW News) CPS officials have laid out a plan that aims to fill a $734 million budget gap. But there’s still debate over whether a loan should be a part of the final plan — and whether the district should take on a $175 million pension payment. Read more >

Latino Voices

Local Illustrator Explores Growing Up in an Immigrant Household in New Children’s Book

An image from “Tíos and Primos” by Jacqueline Alcántara. (Courtesy of Penguin Random House) Writer and illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara draws from her own childhood to help kids navigate their diverse identities in her new book called “Tíos and Primos” — Spanish for “aunts, uncles and cousins.” Read more >

Black Voices

How Chicago’s Changes to Tipped Minimum Wage Are Impacting Businesses, Workers

(DGLimages / iStock) While Mayor Brandon Johnson and advocates say phasing out the tipped minimum wage helps the city’s lowest-paid workers, critics worry about the higher labor costs facing restaurants. Read more >

 

Black Voices

New Documentary Explores History, Evolving Legacy of HBCUs

A still from the documentary “Opportunity, Access and Uplift: The Evolving Legacy of HBCUs." HBCUs, or historically Black colleges and universities, have been around for more than 188 years. They were founded out of necessity when predominantly White institutions barred Black students from attending. Read more >

Latino Voices

Cinco de Mayo Parade Canceled in Chicago Amid Deportation Fears: ‘There is Nothing to Celebrate’

A file photo of Little Village. (WTTW News) “It’s definitely a tradition we don’t want to lose but with this administration, it’s better to keep our people safe,” said Hector Escobar, president of Casa Puebla and the Cermak Road Chamber of Commerce. Read more >

Support for CHICAGO TONIGHT: LATINO VOICES is provided by The Chicago Community Trust.

Additional support is provided by Lloyd A. Fry Foundation and Julian Grace Foundation.

Support for CHICAGO TONIGHT: BLACK VOICES is provided by The Chicago Community Trust.

Additional support is provided by Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Julian Grace Foundation, and Gertrude Dyane and James H. Wooten, Jr..