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.
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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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Greening La Villita at Kanoon Elementary School
A dense green tree canopy can reduce the effects of air pollution and climate change. A 2019 study by the city found Little Village was among communities burdened by higher air pollution — and now, the neighborhood is planting the seeds for change.
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Latino Communities Look Ahead to Chicago Under Mayor Brandon Johnson
As Mayor Brandon Johnson closes out his first week in office, Chicagoans are watching closely. In the city’s Latino communities, public safety, the cost of living, job opportunities, schools and environmental justice are at the top of the long list of issues people are hoping to see the new mayor address.
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Catholicism Among US Latinos Continues to Decline, Survey Finds
A Pew Research Center survey found 43% of Latino adults in the U.S. identified as Catholic last year, which is a drop from 2010, when 67% of Latinos identified as Catholic. The survey also found that the share of Latinos who are religiously unaffiliated continues to grow.
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What Does the End of Title 42 Mean for Those Seeking Asylum in the U.S.?
The policy allowed authorities to quickly expel migrants at U.S. borders in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. More than 2.8 million migrants were expelled, according to Customs and Border protection data. But the policy has also created more confusion and misinformation among the people who are seeking asylum in the U.S.
Read more >Black Voices
Explore African and Caribbean Culture at International Festival of Life, July 1-4
Organizers said the four-day festival will be a “grand celebration” to bring community together. The event celebrates African and Caribbean art, cuisine, dance and music.
Read more >Black Voices
What Chicago Brings to the Turntables as Hip-Hop Turns 50
In 1973, DJ Kool Herc set two copies of James Brown’s “Sex Machine” album on the turntables at a Bronx house party and tried out his innovative technique of cutting and mixing songs at the drum breaks. Fifty years later, hip-hop has become an inextricable part of American music and culture.
Read more >Black Voices
Police Torture Survivor on Chicago Monument Funding: ‘The Memorial Stands for All of Us’
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced a $6.8 million grant to build eight new public monuments. Among them is a long-awaited monument to the Black men tortured by officers under the orders of disgraced former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge.
Read more >Black Voices
Local Efforts to Tackle Systemic Racism in Banking, Help Black Communities Build Generational Wealth
Generations of discriminatory lending practices and policies have taken a major toll on Black communities. A 2020 study found that for every $1 of accumulated wealth that White families have, Black families have just one cent.
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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
Chicago Tonight: Black Voices, April 16, 2025 - Full Show
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
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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