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A film made by students at High School for Recording Arts in Saint Paul, MN, in partnership with Saint Paul Almanac and SPNN.
In the 1920s, Rondo, Saint Paul’s largest African American neighborhood, was flourishing. With music, theatre, African American newspapers, and businesses booming, the community was thriving—until September of 1956, when construction of Interstate 94 tore through the Rondo community. Rondo homeowners resisted the construction, and protests began. Residents were forcefully removed from their homes. Thousands of Rondo homeowners were displaced. Homes and successful businesses were demolished, and a community was torn apart.
The construction of 94 shattered homes, businesses, and families. It did not shatter Rondo’s spirit.
These are the stories of “RONDO: Beyond the Pavement.”
Produced by Kimberly Knightingale and Bianca Rhodes (USA)