The Days of Rondo

by Evelyn Fairbanks

In the 1930s and the 1940s Rondo Avenue was at the heart of St. Paul's largest black neighborhood. African Americans whose families had lived in Minnesota for decades and others who were just arriving from the South made up a vibrant, vital community that was in many ways independent of the white society around it.

The Days of Rondo is Evelyn Fairbanks's affectionate memoir of this lively neighborhood. Its pages are filled with fascinating people: Mama and Daddy—Willie Mae and George Edwards—who taught her about love and pride an dignity; Aunt Good, a tall and stately woman with a "queenly secretive attitude"; brother Morris, who "took the time to teach me about the street and the people I would find there"; Mrs. Neal, the genteel activist who showed her the difference between a salad fork and a dessert fork; Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, who started a girls' string band; and a whole assortment of street vendors and playmates who made up the world of her childhood

As she grew up, Fairbanks saw many different sides of her community. Her words bring to life the all-day Sunday services at the Sanctified church, the "perfect days" of her girlhood, and the ghost stories told on the porch of a soft midwestern summer evening. But she also remembers a visit to relatives in Georgia, the deaths of her Mama and Daddy, and the difficult lessons her free-wheeling brother taught her about friends and money. By the time Evelyn was a teenager, World War II was changing St. Paul and the whole world in ways that touched upon her own life. And through the years she was also discovering what it meant to grow up as a black person in Minnesota.

A gifted storyteller, Fairbanks has recreated the patterns of her neighborhood life in a northern city. Her story ends in the mid-1950s, a few years before the Rondo neighborhood was destroyed by freeway construction. In preserving her memories of this distinctive community, Evelyn Fairbanks has added an important dimension to our understanding of Minnesota during those years.

"Fairbanks spins yarns about St. Paul's black society with the flair of a campfire storyteller." —St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Must reading for anyone wanting a clearer understanding of the history of race relations." —Library Journal

"Narrative history at its best." —Choice

"Her prose is simple and concise and is leavened by a rich sense of humor." —Minnesota Monthly

"The Days of Rondo is an interpretive account of events in the life of a black family from the South struggling for survival and meaning in a northern city. Rich in humor and detail, it provides a well-illustrated mosaic of socioeconomic, ethnic, and class realities as seen through the eyes of a young black woman." —David V. Taylor, author of African-Americans in Minnesota

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Anti Racist, Biography, Biography Memoir, American History

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 1990

Reviews

[B.]

I really enjoyed reading these stories and placing them on the map that was included in the first chapter. It was interesting to think about how each of these places has changed--if it survived the construction of I-94--since the 30's and 40's

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really lovely memoir of her childhood. I feel like I know my city better now.

[Emily Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I'm currently planning a 5th/6th grade interdisciplinary teaching unit that will include a study of the Great Depression. Our theme for the unit is "Hard Times," and one of our guiding "essential" questions asks how did/do communities and individuals get through hard times. Our central fictional text will probably be "Out of the Dust," by Karen Hesse, but we are also looking for supplementary texts that will shed light on both the historical era and our essential question.

"The Days of Rondo" has been on my "to-read" list since I started at my school, because it is about what it was like to grow up in Rondo, which was (is?) St. Paul's central black community. Many of our black students at my school still live in this geographic area. I wanted to learn more about the history of this community, and especially a history told by one who lived it, and also one that tells about daily life and isn't an "issue-oriented" (deficit focused) look at the neighborhood and the people that lived/live there.

I really like the book, first of all, because of the warm and honest feeling way with which Fairbanks writes about the people most important to her. Even from her brief chapters on her dad, mom, brothers, her aunt, and the other neighbors that played an important part in her life, I feel like I know much of what is important about them (especially her mother). I guess more than what I know about them, it is clear that the author felt great love and care from all these people as a girl.

I also just like reading about some of the daily life in a community different from my own because of time and because of race and socioeconomic status. This book is a great window into that world. I still have many questions, though, because this is told from the memories of one girl. Next on my reading list is another collection of oral histories about the Rondo neighborhood.

Notes for class/teaching purposes: thematic breakdown of chapters--
1. Preface: "This book is a collection of stories remembered from my youth. It is important for me to tell these stories because I want others to know some of the people, events and places that made up my neighborhood. It is important for you to read these stories because no one has told them, at least not from the spot where I was standing." I really like this-- it fits well with what we talk about with the study of history. Whose story is told? Why are some things left out? What is our own standpoint?

2. Daddy: "Hard Times" theme -- her dad has a stroke and dies. Community help/response throughout-- helping him when he first had the stroke, there at the funeral, dad's friend brings gifts. It isn't clear how Evelyn is feeling throughout this chapter.

3. Mama: "Mama's discipline, however, was balanced by the sense of security she placed around me... Mama made it very clear that she intended for me to walk through the world as fearlessly as she did." Bravery (furnace/coal), determination (speaking to teachers), faith (praying on toenail.)

4. Orphans are Made by Social Workers:
to be continued... :)

[Michelle Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorable read. Fairbanks recounts her childhood in a clear, concise voice and with such a warmth that I found myself longing for my own childhood as I read along. St. Paul's historic Rondo neighborhood of the 1930s and '40s is fleshed out in full detail - there are some pictures, along with plenty of references to street names, schools, churches, community centers and shops in the area. She barely touches on the I-94 construction that destroyed the thriving black neighborhood, so if you're looking for information on that you won't find much here. Come instead for a simple story about a little girl diligently making mud pies in the backyard while a vibrant city creates history all around her.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Born in 1928, Evelyn Fairbanks did not have an easy time growing up. She was raised by parents who were not her birth parents and lost both of them at a young age. She was then raised by the sister of her “mother.” She grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in a neighborhood known as Rondo. Rondo was a black neighborhood in the primarily white city.

Her memoir is, essentially, a look back at her youth in Rondo. More than anything, Evelyn’s story is a story about family. It is not a tale of growing up black in Minnesota. Rather, it is a story of a girl growing up, a girl who just happens to be black.

This memoir is okay, but not really groundbreaking. I read it for a book discussion at the Saint Paul Public Library.

[Karlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Fairbanks recalls her early years in the mostly black Rondo community of St. Paul, which was bulldozed in the sixties to make way for Interstate 94. While her memoir is lovingly nostalgic - as are most reminiscing about "vibrant" communities since destroyed - her stories illuminate the complexities of daily life in the neighborhood: everything from orphan picnics, the Sanctified church on Sunday, house rent parties, dancing at the Hallie Q. to ruminations on being black in Minnesota, "the social order," and Pullman Porters and red caps, Fairbanks.

[CTEP]

For May book club, I read “Days of Rondo” by Evelyn Fairbanks. This book is a memoir about growing up in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul during the 1930’s and 40’s. The book touches on a lot of social issues of that era: growing up poor and urban; life under the welfare state; and race relations between blacks and whites.

I liked this book a lot. It was interesting to read about the (now historical) places that Fairbanks wrote about. Each chapter of the memoir touched on a different facet of her life, from family to friends to church to school. Throughout the entire book, Fairbanks talked about community and the strong bonds she formed as a child. The book tangentially talks about social and racial issues of the past, so it was interesting to read about those things in relation to today and to see what has and hasn't changed much in St. Paul/Minneapolis.

I think anyone familiar with St. Paul or the Rondo neighborhood would find this a nice read. The book isn't necessarily a social manifesto or great work of literature, but it's such a warm and kind depiction of early-century St. Paul that I think other CTEP members would enjoy it.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up in the suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota, I never once heard of the existence of Rondo until my 22nd year and that frustrated and angered me. Ms Evelyn Fairbanks gave such fascinating and lovely accounts of childhood in Rondo and I hope that some day soon all schools in the Twin Cities, St Paul at very least, highlight the history of Rondo and the fracturing of the neighborhood with the construction of 94, something that is seldom talked about. Overall, this book was a wonderful and warm account of her childhood and adulthood in Rondo and is a must read if you’re from Minnesota in my opinion.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was required reading for my college student and she loved it so much she recommended I read it. Evelyn Fairbanks’ writing is so easy and enjoyable to read, I get immersed in the community and the feeling of her neighborhood. She only lightly touches on the racism of the time and instead focused on the community that Blacks created in St. Paul. Her beautiful memoir makes it all the more devastating that this area was destroyed to make room for interstate 94.

[Bill Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast reading memories of Rondo neighborhood from the 1930’s through the 80’s as seen through the life of the author. Some examples of overt racism which affected the author and her friends and family. Also just a little bit about how the Interstate 94 construction carved through this once vibrant neighborhood.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't quite what I wanted. I thought it was going to be more about the Rondo neighborhood as a whole, the history of what happened and to what it has become today. It was very sweet storytelling. If I would have gone into it knowing it's a memoir of Evelyn's childhood, I would have been more receptive.

[Judy Evenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 90% of the book could have been the story of many Minnesota kids growing up in the depression. It was a little too simplistic but when she concluded the book by addressing bigger issues, primarily racial the book became interesting and informative.

[Ashleigh Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this book offered a warm and nostalgic glimpse into the tight knit community that was the Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul, and more broadly, a personal telling of what it was like to grow up black in Minnesota in the 1930s and 40s.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't want to know about the history of erasure, and this book delivers. She's telling you about her childhood before that happened, which when you know what happens to the neighborhood makes it that much more devastating. I do wish there was more about her teen years!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely story of “The Days of Rondo” reminds me of plethora of biographies that I read as young girl. We have heard of the Rondo community, and now we know where exactly it was located. The author has a gift for story telling. A piece of history to treasure!

[M.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is Evelyn Fairbanks' recollection of memories of her childhood neighborhood of Rondo, St. Paul, which was demolished from 1956-1968 by the construction of I-94. Her narratives are vivid, funny, moving, and effectively tell some of this neighborhood's forgotten stories. We are lucky to have Evelyn's words about the Rondo neighborhood, as it was ruthlessly and unjustly destroyed in the 1950s and 1960s.

[CTEP]

The Days of Rondo, by Evelyn Fairbanks is a memoir about a girl growing up in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul during the 1930’s and 40’s. Through the eyes of Evelyn, the reader gets a glimpse into daily life in the now fractured Rondo neighborhood, as well as what it was like to grow up as an African American in St. Paul. When I picked up this book after the Rondo corps day, I was expecting an eyewitness account of the steps that were taken that lead to the destruction of the Rondo neighborhood by I-94, but after I finished the book, I realized that I experienced something much more powerful and tragic. I learned about the family, community, and emotions that were so vital to the residents of a neighborhood that no longer exists. As a reader of non fiction, one thing I like to do is sit near a computer and Google map where the events that I am reading about occurred. While this has typically been just a cool way to help me connect locations to help me process the reading, with The Days of Rondo, this all changed. One thing that Evelyn did in her book was list cross streets where major life events of hers occurred. Looking for those intersections on a current map of St. Paul was a very difficult experience, as many of the streets that intersected during Evelyn’s childhood no longer intersect. In some cases the streets themselves no longer exist, with the place they once were now being occupied by I-94.

The memoir also talks a about the racism that Evelyn experienced growing up in Minnesota, and how it impacted her childhood and adolescence. The book takes place in the era of Jim Crow, and although Minnesota was a state where these laws were not officially on the books, African Americans still faced immense discrimination. Evelyn talks about being denied education opportunities due to her race, as well as experiences with white Minnesotans not wanting to interact with her, most notably her white classmates who she had known her entire life. Although the events from the book are well over 60 years old, the same racism is still are very real and fresh in Minnesota, including in communities where many CTEPS serve, and we all should be aware of while we work with members of the community.

I highly recommend this book to other CTEPs, whether you serve in St. Paul itself, or simply just use I-94. Knowing the history of Rondo and what happened is key to anyone who serves in St. Paul, as the wounds caused by the destruction of the neighborhood are still very fresh to many community members. The injustice that occurred in Rondo is something that we all need to be aware of and educate ourselves about so something like that never happens again in our community.

[Claire S]

Capturing of the thriving black community which once existed and remains a celebrated memory today. Every June or so there is a 'Remember Rondo' party in a park that is well-attended and serves to carry that thread forward.

Rondo was destroyed by one of our main freeways, 94W, in the early 60's. It is commonly known that the route for the freeway was shaped by the relative power held by the various neighborhoods, Rondo was destroyed because its residents didn't matter enough. (to put it bluntly).

Since then, the area became a classic instance of urban blight, host to a crime and drug culture complete with murders and a constant police presence. Only in the last 5+ years has the area started to turn around through the efforts of residents, community activists, non-profits (one of our main food co-ops, Mississippi Market, has been key), the well-known black theatre Penumbra (home of August Wilson) and others.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in an essay contest, and it was perhaps the best prize I've received. A memoir of the author's early years in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul, it's less a book of story than of setting--a particular time and place, richly detailed and wonderfully realized by Fairbanks. This book was so richly detailed I laughed out loud and wept, depending on the story. The book perfectly encapsulates the time and place and how it contributed to Fairbanks' identity. I look forward to sharing this book with my mother, who grew up in Minneapolis in the 40s.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very warm narrative about growing up in Rondo when it still existed fully. Reading about places I am so familiar with made me very happy. I definitely want to recommend this to everyone, but especially all of us from St Paul to keep prolonging the memory of this neighborhood.

The sense of community Fairbanks writes about seems near impossible to recreate at present.

I enjoyed the book very much and would be very willing to let anyone borrow it.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read - and the first library book I borrowed for my Kobo eReader. Rondo Avenue ran through the middle of St. Paul and was the heart of the old African American community, until it was displaced by I-94. A very interesting, different look of growing up in the Twin Cities during the depression and WWII eras, from the perspective of a young black girl. Knowing the areas she describes today makes it all the more interesting to visualize how it appeared back then.

[Caley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming, little historical read about Saint Paul and its thriving communities during the 30s and 40s. This is a simple and straightforward memoir and is a pleasant account of one young black woman's history and story. But there's nothing too deep here; no real digging under the surface or insightful discussion. 3.5 stars.

[andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

good. i do not remember much.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A homey account of growing up in the black community of Rondo in St. Paul.

[Clint Kuipers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely some beautiful writing in this book.

[Mary S · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy to pick up. Ms Fairbanks does a great job of describing life in St Paul MNs black community in the 1930s & 1940s. Well written and balanced.

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful writing style about a rich time in history. I was hoping for more about the Rondo neighborhood and how it evolved (and eventually disappeared).

[Deb Sodt]

Easy to read. Memories of her growing up in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul in the 1920s-1940s. Did not discuss the building of Interstate 94 or go in depth about racism.

[Katie B-K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably a 3 star book tops in terms of literary merit but I super enjoyed the St. Paul history.

Minnesota Women Lawyers Book Club January 2017.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good of a memoir as I've read. Easy to read, informative about an era, a location, and a people, and interesting.