Latino Voices
Latino Voices
Volunteers Help Immigrant Parents Get Their Kids to School With the ‘Walking School Bus’
“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
“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 >Black Voices
Black Voices
Residents of South Shore Building Raided by ICE Must Move Out by Friday, Judge Rules
Judge Debra Ann Seaton denied a 60-day extension request saying “it would be inhumane for this court not to relocate people as quickly as possible,” citing gas leaks and plumbing issues. Many residents said they had nowhere to go.
Read more >Black Voices
Director and Actor Robert Townsend Returns to Chicago for Namesake Film Festival
The event will take place Saturday and Sunday and features a variety of film screenings, discussions, a game night and a master class taught by Townsend himself.
Read more >Latino Voices
Pritzker Cutting Health Care Program for Noncitizens As Report Reveals Costs Far Exceeded Estimates
Gov. JB Pritzker’s recently unveiled 2026 budget proposal includes a controversial cut. It proposes to get rid of two programs that allow immigrants without legal status to receive healthcare coverage.
Read more >Latino Voices
Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Feb. 27, 2025 - Full Show
Parents push back on the potential closures of some charter schools. Some undocumented immigrants are at risk of losing their health care coverage. And the leader of the Chicago Park District is stepping down.
Read more >Latino Voices
‘It’s Really Heartbreaking’: Undocumented Parents Share Their Experiences Amid Fears of Mass Deportations
Many undocumented families describe their lives as living in the shadows since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Mixed-status families who have called Chicago home for decades are feeling the impact of Trump’s promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.
Read more >Latino Voices
Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Feb. 20, 2025 - Full Show
Schools are facing a deadline to cut diversity programs or lose funding — how it could change the education landscape. And inside a local organization helping teens tell their stories.
Read more >Black Voices
Illinois’ SNAP Education Program to End Amid Federal Funding Cuts. How That Could Impact Local Communities
More than 1 million Illinois residents have benefitted from an educational program that teaches SNAP recipients about nutrition.
Read more >Black Voices
CTU President Rejects Pritzker’s Assertion No More Money to Be Found in Springfield for Schools
CPS is facing a $734 million shortfall with a deadline to pass a balanced budget coming next Friday, but the options facing CPS board members and the interim CEO appear to be narrowing.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Program Put 30,000 Young People to Work This Summer
The city’s One Summer Chicago program put 30,000 young people to work this year, providing jobs in transportation, health care, business and more.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Aug. 13, 2025 - Full Show
A charging decision is made in the shooting death of Dexter Reed. And Chicago Public Schools’ latest effort to close its budget gap.
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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
Volunteers Help Immigrant Parents Get Their Kids to School With the ‘Walking School Bus’
“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 >Black Voices
Advocates Say Black Communities Are Left Out of Regional Transit Reform Debate
Chicago-area public transit agencies are facing a fiscal cliff. The budget gap for CTA, Metra and Pace is at $200 million, according to the Regional Transportation Authority.
Read more >Latino Voices
In Chicago, Some Businesses Report Pandemic-Era Drop in Sales Amid Immigration Raids
“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 >Black Voices
Director and Actor Robert Townsend Returns to Chicago for Namesake Film Festival
The event will take place Saturday and Sunday and features a variety of film screenings, discussions, a game night and a master class taught by Townsend himself.
Read more >
Black Voices
For Some People With Criminal Records, Illinois’ Clean Slate Act Could Offer a New Beginning
More than 2 million people in Illinois are eligible to have their records sealed but haven’t acted on what is currently a cumbersome, lengthy process.
Read more >Latino Voices
Homeland Security Terminates Automatic Work Permit Renewals; Advocates Say Move Could Broaden Deportation Efforts
The Trump administration says this move allows better vetting of those using work permits. However, some are skeptical of that reasoning.
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