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.
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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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Volunteer Medical Students Work to Meet Health Needs of Migrants Arriving in Chicago
As part of the city’s response, police stations have become makeshift shelters for new migrants before they transition into long-term housing. Recently, a volunteer team of medical students has begun making the rounds at those police stations to assist with refugees’ health needs.
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Exhibition at National Museum of Mexican Art Places Native Mexican Culture Front and Center
What does it mean to be native Mexican after centuries of colonization? And how do those cultures present themselves today, despite efforts at their erasure? Those questions are at the heart of a new art exhibition.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices, June 9, 2023 - Full Show
Health care for newly arrived migrants. Residents fight a metal scrapping facility on the Southeast Side. And native Mexican cultures featured in a new exhibit.
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Musical ‘Aztec Human Sacrifice’ at City Lit Theater Finds Surprising Humor in Unusual Premise
The ritual of human sacrifice in Aztec culture provides the unlikely backdrop for a musical now running at City Lit Theater.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, July 28, 2023 - Full Show
How West Side residents are still recovering from flooding nearly a month after historic rainfall. We explore the media’s coverage of crime. And a national monument to Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley.
Read more >Black Voices
In Its 18th Year, Silver Room Block Party Gets Ready for Its Last Dance
Today, the Silver Room Block Party is a massive event in Hyde Park: Tens of thousands of people gather to dance, eat, shop and celebrate. But it all began as a small customer appreciation party in a Wicker Park alley.
Read more >Black Voices
Chicago Organization Prepares Black Millennials for Futures in Civic Leadership
“There’s a gap between generations and passing knowledge,” said Alexandra Sims-Jones, Black Bench Chicago co-founder. The organization connects older generations with those younger to share lessons in civic engagement and organizing.
Read more >Black Voices
Navigating College Applications After Affirmative Action
Considerations start with getting admitted and continue with questions of an institution’s ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion once students get inside the gates.
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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
New DuSable Park Plans Include Boardwalk, Pavilion Along Chicago Lakefront
The life and legacy of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, who is largely referred to as Chicago’s founder, is being honored at a new park just east of where the Haitian-born trader settled near the river.
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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