Latino Voices

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 >

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 >

Black Voices

Black Voices

‘Other Washingtons’ Art Installation Aims to Reimagine Who We Choose to Remember

Amanda Williams' new art installation around the George Washington statue in Washington Park features artists, inventors, educators and leaders. (WTTW News) “Other Washingtons” is an art intervention located around the George Washington statue at 51st Street and Martin Luther King Drive that features artists, inventors, educators and other inspirational leaders, all with the last name Washington. Read more >

Black Voices

Take a Look Inside the 1903 Frank Lloyd Wright House a Chicago Nonprofit Is Working to Restore

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Walser House, a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2025. (Eric Allix Rogers) In the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side sits the J.J. Walser House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1903. A local organization is working to preserve the landmark and transform it into a community asset for generations to come. Read more >

Latino Voices

Addressing the Growing Imbalance Between Water Scarcity and Flooding in Northeastern Illinois

Flooding in Chicago. File photo. (WTTW News) It might come as a surprise given our proximity to Lake Michigan, but some of Chicago’s neighbors could soon be facing a water shortage. According to a new report, flooding and scarcity can “wildly alternate in the same place or transpire in proximity to each other.” Read more >

Latino Voices

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, July 21, 2023 - Full Show

The growing imbalance between water scarcity and flooding. Unpacking new research on long COVID. And how a local chef educates diners on fine Mexican cuisine. Read more >

Latino Voices

Northwestern Medicine Study Suggests Multidisciplinary Care Best for Long COVID Patients

(WTTW News) The Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive COVID-19 Center released the results of a study on 1,200 long COVID patients. According the CDC, one in five COVID-19 patients experienced long COVID three months later, about 150 million adults in the U.S. Read more >

Latino Voices

Chef Carlos Gaytán on Demystifying Mexican Cuisine Through Social Media

(Erica Gunderson / WTTW News) With slim margins and constantly shifting trends, the restaurant industry can be a tough business. Chef Carlos Gaytán uses thoughtful social media content to both attract more business and educate diners about the flavors of his home country. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, Sept. 15, 2023 - Full Show

After months of fighting in the courts, Illinois is set to eliminate cash bail. A partnership to counter violence. And 60 years since the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Read more >

Black Voices

60 Years After 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, Legacy of Four Young Girls Lives on at Carole Robertson Center

Children and instructors at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning. (Erica Gunderson / WTTW News) Every year, the Carole Robertson Center for Learning holds ceremonies and social justice activities in remembrance of Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley and Carol McNair — the four little girls killed in a 1963 white supremacist attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. Read more >

Black Voices

With Federal Funding Ending, Child Care Advocates Warn of Looming Cliff

File photo of a child in a classroom. (WTTW News) A report from the Century Foundation shows that without pandemic-era federal funding, thousands of providers would no longer be able to hire and pay staff, meaning rapid shutdowns in families with small children fending for themselves. Read more >

Black Voices

Support Small Businesses During Black Restaurant Weeks, Sept. 10-24

A girl eats at Luella’s Southern Kitchen. (WTTW News) The National Black Restaurant Weeks campaign is returning to Chicago with two full weeks of specials and events at 35 Black-owned eateries. 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

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

Meet the Chicago Teen Going Viral for Giving Free Hair Makeovers in the School Bathroom

North Lawndale College Prep student Jessica Thurmond styles a classmate's hair. (WTTW News) For many Black people, getting their hair done can be a costly ordeal. But Jessica Thurmond, a student in North Lawndale, is trying to alleviate that. She’s styling her classmates’ hair for free in her school’s bathroom stalls just in time for class. 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 >

Black Voices

Take a Look Inside the 1903 Frank Lloyd Wright House a Chicago Nonprofit Is Working to Restore

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Walser House, a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2025. (Eric Allix Rogers) In the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side sits the J.J. Walser House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1903. A local organization is working to preserve the landmark and transform it into a community asset for generations to come. Read more >

 

Black Voices

Free Boxing Club Empowers West Side Youth: ‘They Feel the Confidence’

(WTTW News) Roy Flowers started his boxing club in 2021 in the hopes of creating healthy, supportive spaces for the youth in his community. “I just wanted to be the mentor that I wish I had.” Read more >

Latino Voices

‘Like Lightning Struck’: Community Marks 60 Years Since the First Division Street Riot, Puerto Rican Rebellion

(Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum) While events for the community are planned for the entire weekend to celebrate Puerto Rican pride and culture, this year also honors the history of Chicago’s Boricua community — marking the 60-year anniversary of the first Division Street riot. Read more >