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

Chicago City Council Members on the $51M Migrant Aid Plan

Alds. Jessie Fuentes and Byron Sigcho Lopez appeared on “Latino Voices” on June 2, 2023. (WTTW News) A plan to provide $51 million in migrant care passed by a comfortable margin at this week’s Chicago City Council meeting. But the lead-up to that vote was met with upheaval and racist remarks from audience members. Read more >

Latino Voices

Fiestas Patronales Puertorriqueñas Returns to Humboldt Park, June 8-11

The Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago. (WTTW News) The celebration kicks off with a Community Day on June 8 and continues through the weekend with a parade, carnival, musical and dance performances, arts, workshops, and of course, plenty of good food. Read more >

Latino Voices

Author Cynthia Pelayo Blends Horror and History in ‘The Shoemaker’s Magician’

(WTTW News) In “The Shoemaker’s Magician,” Cynthia Pelayo blends film history and Chicago history into a genre-crossing journey into the occult. The story opens with the discovery of a gruesome murder in a downtown theater. Read more >

Latino Voices

NEIU’s Jose Rico Says State Higher Ed Budget Boost Will Help Fend Off Tuition Increase

(WTTW News) The Illinois state budget passed this week included increased funding for higher education. That was welcome news to Northeastern Illinois University, which has seen some financial and institutional turbulence in recent years. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Cop, Nonprofit Leader Gives ‘The Last Word’ on Showing Up for the City’s Youth

Chicago police officer and nonprofit leader Kenneth Griffin. (WTTW News) Kenneth Griffin said as a young man growing up in Englewood, he didn’t have many positive interactions with the police. That’s part of the reason the trained chef became a Chicago police officer — to create connections between young people and police in his community. Read more >

Black Voices

Study Finds Illinois Worst State in Nation for Racial Financial Equality

(WTTW News) In recent decades, Illinois has lost a significant portion of its Black population. While a variety of issues have been cited as reasons for Black families to leave the state, a recent study suggests financial equity could also be a consideration. Read more >

Black Voices

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, July 14, 2023 - Full Show

(WTTW News) What’s behind the racial wealth gap and ways to address it. Efforts to combat PTSD in young girls. And a local police officer on showing up for the city’s youth. Read more >

Black Voices

Young Performer Tryouts for T.I.P. Fest Scheduled for July 15, Aug. 25

(Courtesy of Chicago Park District) The Chicago Park District is asking the city’s youth performers to try out for its 8th annual T.I.P. (Teens in the Park) Fest, where singers, rappers, dancers and poets ages 14 to 24 can showcase their talents. 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

Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, April 16, 2025 - Full Show

Brandis Friedman hosts "Chicago Tonight: Black Voices" on April 16, 2025. (WTTW News) An effort to ban Jan. 6 participants from city jobs. What’s behind disparities in pregnancy-related deaths. And Stacy Davis Gates on the new CTU contract. 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 >