Latino Voices

Latino Voices

Spanish Is Fading Across Generations. These Latino Parents Are Working to Keep It Alive

(WTTW News) 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

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

Black Voices

Smithsonian Head Lonnie Bunch on Preserving History, Retirement and Trump Administration Threats

FILE - Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch speaks at an event, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo / Allison Robbert, File) 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

The Chicago State University football team at practice. (WTTW News) 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 >

Latino Voices

Emerging Latino Music Takes Over Navy Pier at LatiNxt, Aug. 26-27

(Courtesy of Future Rootz) The LatiNxt Music Festival returns to Navy Pier this weekend with two full days and nights of performances showcasing up-and-coming Latino artists. Read more >

Latino Voices

Villapalooza Returns to Rock Little Village, Aug. 26

(Courtesy of Villapalooza) The pandemic put 26th Street’s annual Villapalooza music festival on hold for a few years — but on Saturday, it’s back with more space than ever for young local artists to showcase their community and culture. Read more >

Latino Voices

Residents React to Chicago Top Cop Selection, Share Hopes for Community Engagement: ‘It’s a Two-Way Street’

Larry Snelling and Mayor Brandon Johnson shake hands while addressing the media during a press conference announcing Snelling’s appointment as the Chicago Police Department’s superintendent Aug. 14, 2023. (WTTW News) If confirmed as superintendent, Larry Snelling faces a delicate balancing act — addressing the crime and violence that have plagued Chicago while also changing the way CPD trains and disciplines its officers. Read more >

Latino Voices

Taqueria Las Flores Owner Hoping to Rebuild After Fire Destroys North Park Restaurant

Taqueria Las Flores, 3352 W. Foster Ave., was burned down on Aug. 5, 2023. (WTTW News) Jazmin Flores, the young entrepreneur and owner of Taqueria Las Flores, used her savings to open the restaurant four years ago. She stayed open through the pandemic and navigated financial struggles. Now she’s forced to start over. Read more >

Black Voices

How a Chicago Police Officer Transformed His Backyard Into an Award-Winning Oasis

Deronis Cooper works in his garden in Garfield Park. (WTTW News) Deronis Cooper said getting his hands in the dirt helps him cope with the challenges of being a police officer. What started with four planters has grown into more than 50 plant species in his backyard. Read more >

Black Voices

Vanessa Williams on Producing a New Musical Showcasing Jazz Legend Louis Armstrong Now Playing in Chicago

James Monroe Iglehart (Louis Armstrong) and producer Vanessa Williams in rehearsal for “A Wonderful World.” (Jeremy Daniel) Black Theatre United is an organization aimed at creating more diversity and inclusion in theater. With the help of that group, actress Vanessa Williams is making her producorial debut for the new musical “A Wonderful World.” Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Oct. 18, 2023 - Full Show

We sit down with Chicago’s newly appointed police superintendent. A look at the impact of residents boycotting CPS’ segregationist policies — 60 years later. And a new musical on jazz legend Louis Armstrong. Read more >

Black Voices

Reflecting on the Historic 1963 Chicago Public Schools Boycott 60 Years Later

A still from the “’63 Boycott” documentary by Kartemquin Films (2017). This Sunday marks 60 years to the day nearly 250,000 Chicago Public Schools students skipped school to boycott CPS. Students and their parents flooded the streets of Chicago in what’s known as Freedom Day, a massive protest of the segregation in CPS and the superintendent at the time, Benjamin Willis. 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

Spanish Is Fading Across Generations. These Latino Parents Are Working to Keep It Alive

(WTTW News) 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

‘She Who Dared’ Opera Showcases Black Female Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement

The cast of “She Who Dared” rehearses ahead of the opera’s June 2025 run at the Chicago Opera Theater. (Michael Brosilow) The opera spotlights the women who challenged segregation in Montgomery, using classical music infused with sounds of gospel, jazz and the blues to tell the story centered around seven women. Read more >

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 State University Gears Up for First-Ever Football Game

The Chicago State University football team at practice. (WTTW News) 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

The city of Gary, Ind., is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News) 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

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 >