Rondo Days is an annual summer celebration that commemorates the legacy and rich cultural heritage of the Rondo neighborhood. The festival has grown since its inception in 1982 to become the largest African American sponsored festival in Minnesota. This year, it will be held on Saturday, July 18 from 12-7pm at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center, 271 Mackubin Street.
You may be familiar with at least some of the history of the Rondo neighborhood. The area dates back to the late 1800s and St. John’s has existed just a few blocks away for the church’s entire history. As the ReConnect Rondo project explains,
“80% of Saint Paul’s African American population once lived in Rondo. They enjoyed friendship, culture and pride in this mixed-income community with a flourishing middle class…But Rondo was devastated when I-94 ripped through the community…. 700 family homes were demolished. 300 businesses were closed or torn down. And to make matters even worse, inadequate compensation went to the families for their significant losses. The effects of the fateful decisions made decades ago, are still being felt today.” However, even in the wake of this breach, the neighborhood’s spirit, culture, and engagement live on.
In our recent Capital Campaign, we talked about our call at St. John’s to “claim fully our heritage as repairers of the breach and restorers of streets to live in.” Repair and reparations within our neighborhood — not just “neighbors” in a spiritual sense but also in the physical streets we live in — can only come about when we engage in community and collaboration with each other.
It is in this spirit — not to mention the spirit of summer fun, food, music, and a great time — that we encourage you to spend time at Rondo Days this year!
