Latino Voices
Latino Voices
Spanish Is Fading Across Generations. These Latino Parents Are Working to Keep It Alive
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.
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Grassroots Effort Grows Into Queer-Led Community Hub in Gage Park
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
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.
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Chicago State University Gears Up for First-Ever Football Game
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.
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Rethinking Chicago’s Mexican Independence Day Celebrations
About 20% of Chicagoans claim Mexican heritage, according to U.S. census data. That’s a distinction that makes itself especially evident every September when people celebrate Mexican Independence Day.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Sept. 29, 2023 - Full Show
We explore how the city approaches its cultural celebrations. A nonprofit organization helping local businesses. And a taste of Latin Restaurant Weeks.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Sept. 22, 2023 - Full Show
Is DACA in danger? A new research initiative on Latino communities. And a cumbia celebration for Hispanic Heritage month.
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Chicago-Based Research Initiative Wants to Provide Data and Insight Around a Growing Latino Population
The goal of the Latino Research Initiative is to become a data hub for community groups, policy-makers and others.
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Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Dec. 20, 2023 - Full Show
We sit down with Mayor Brandon Johnson to talk community safety, migrants and more. And Chicago Public Schools’ plan to move away from school choice.
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CPS Board’s Move Away From School Choice Draws Praise, Backlash
In a major departure from past policy, the Chicago Board of Education has announced it intends to move away from a system built on school choice.
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Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Dec. 13, 2023 - Full Show
Efforts to redefine Chicago’s community boundaries. Meet a 17-year-old who just earned her doctorate degree. And we break down the history of Chicago’s alphabetically inclined street names.
Read more >Black Voices
There’s Renewed Efforts to Redefine Chicago’s Neighborhood Boundaries. Here’s How You Can Help
We all know Chicago as the city of neighborhoods, but how exactly are those neighborhoods defined? And do those boundaries last mapped out in the 1920s still hold true? That’s what a group of scholars and researchers from the University of Chicago is venturing to find out.
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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
Spanish Is Fading Across Generations. These Latino Parents Are Working to Keep It Alive
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
Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s New Leader Urges Resistance Against the Trump Administration’s Policies
Ahead of the group’s annual conference this weekend, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition is planning a protest Thursday at the downtown Target on State Street.
Read more >Latino Voices
Grassroots Effort Grows Into Queer-Led Community Hub in Gage Park
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
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
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
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.
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