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.
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
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.
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.
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Meet Música Mexicana, the Latino Sensation That’s Sweeping the Nation
Music is a big part of any celebration. So for Hispanic Heritage Month, we’ve asked music journalist Sandra Treviño to dial in on a few music styles, genres and trends across the Latino diaspora.
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As Tensions Run High at Police Station Migrant Shelters, Volunteers Speak Out on Shelter Conditions
Currently, about 1,600 migrants are living in police stations across Chicago — a solution that was intended to be temporary. But many of those men, women and children have been sleeping on floors or in tents outside police stations for months.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, Sept. 15, 2023 - Full Show
Altercations at police stations housing migrants. The rewards and struggles of being first generation. And reconnecting with your roots for Hispanic Heritage Month.
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Get Back to Your Roots at Morton Arboretum for Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
This month, the Morton Arboretum is inviting people to get back in touch with their roots with a variety of events and programs highlighting Latino cultures and communities, beginning with the Celebración de los Árboles on Sept. 16-17.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Nov. 29, 2023 - Full Show
Exploring why so many Black women go missing in Chicago. And how educator vacancies are disproportionately impacting children of color.
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Teacher Vacancies in Illinois Disproportionately Impact Students of Color: Report
“Most tragically, students of color and students from low-income households are dramatically more likely to be in districts with high vacancy levels, more than twice the vacancy rates than the rest of state,” said Robin Steans, president of Advance Illinois.
Read more >Black Voices
New Report Raises Questions Over CPD’s Approach to Missing Persons Cases
Black people comprise about two-thirds of all reported missing persons cases in Chicago over the past two decades.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Nov. 22, 2023 - Full Show
What local groups are doing to combat rising food insecurity. A push to enhance the Major Taylor Trail on the South Side. And the creator of the animated series “Young Love.”
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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
With New Head Coach, Chicago State University Works to Launch Division I Football Program
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 >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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