Voices of Rondo: Oral Histories of Saint Paul's Historic Black Community

by Kate Cavett, David Taylor (Foreword)

Voices of Rondo: Oral Histories of Saint Paul's Historic Black Community includes thirty-three individual short stories that share the varied aspects of the Black culture in this dynamic, diverse community. Voices of Rondo encapsulates the experience of Blacks living in northern cities throughout the United States. These stories celebrate the community and the culture of those who lived and worked in the vibrant Rondo neighborhood during the first half of the Twentieth Century. We glimpse the challenges of racism and poverty, and share the victories of a community that educated its children to become strong, to find personal pride, and to become the next generation of leaders in Saint Paul and beyond.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

300 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Abigail Thomsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first oral history collection I’ve read and wow! I’ve learned so much about Rondo and the community the government destroyed. This book scratches the surface through personal stories, and I’d love to learn more.

[CTEP]

Voices of Rondo - as told to Kate Cavett of Hand in Hand Productions, is essentially an oral history of the experience of living and growing up in St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood in the first half of the 20th century. Published by the local Syren Book Company, it's possible that the book is not even widely-distributed - I found a stack of copies in the library's storage closet - but it contains a series of stories and personal histories that are as invaluable a tool to working in the 21st-century Rondo neighborhood as anything I've encountered thus far.

Because the book is a compilation of sorts, I will recount a couple of the stories that stood out. Richard Morris Mann was one of the neighborhood's pioneering entrepreneurs in the 1940s and thereafter - following in the footsteps of his father, the first black businessman (he owned a barbershop) in the area earlier in the century, he and his brothers struggled to find work and ultimately rented a tavern that would become a successful beer and music hall (the Sterling Club). They became leaders in the community and helped instill a sense of ownership in the neighborhood and its successes (and failures) for its residents - most of whom were black and disadvantaged.

Mel Henderson was a student at St. Paul's Central High School in the late 50s and early 60s, where he gained noteriety for dating a young caucasian woman, Judy Grohs. The adversity they faced was predictable - he was treaetd with hostility by many whites, and was considered a sellout by many of his black classmates - but the two went on to be elected Homecoming King and Queen in 1961. This narrative is particularly interesting for its exploration of the difficulties - both complex and unforseen as well as predictable and (unfortunately) oft-told - that arise within the scope of race relations, especially in a high school in a neighborhood bordering on both white and black communities.

Voices of Rondo does not consist of a standard plot - nor should it. Beyond our basic civic understanding of history, the complexities and intricacies of a history of a community or people of any size - even a relatively small neighborhood - can only be scratched on the surface with even the most detailed and numerous retellings of personal histories. That is what this book provides. It won't answer any broad questions, but it will certainly establish the correct mindset for one who walks across the 94 bridge on Dale toward University to work every day.

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I read Voices of Rondo, a series of oral histories of the Rondo neighborhood residents compiled by Kate Cavett. I really enjoyed reading this book; it paints a vivid picture of the rich history of the Rondo community. Each individual talks about living in Rondo, what sorts of things they were involved in, where they worked, and what the community was like. Some of the places that came up in many of the interviews were the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, the Sterling Club (and other social clubs), and Pullman Porter railroad company which employed many of the men in the neighborhood. There were many stories that talked about their experiences with racism, limiting jobs, education and other opportunities in St. Paul. They talked about how they had to create opportunities for themselves, and used the community center and social clubs as ways to network, gain skills, and build a strong sense of community. I was struck by a few stories that indicated how much the neighborhood changed after I-94 was built, splitting the neighborhood in half. Before, everyone knew each other, watched out for each other and worked together to create a positive environment for their children to grow up in, and then so many people were forced out of their homes, businesses were displaced or closed, and even Rondo St. name was changed to Concordia Ave. It is wonderful to have all of these stories in one place to document what it was like from the 1940s-50s, and great to see that several of the organizations still play a vital role in the community. Two of the interviews are with the co-founders of Rondo Days, an annual festival to celebrate Rondo. I told one of the teachers I work with about this book, and she was inspired to do a similar project with her high school students. I will be working with them in the next few months to do some ethnographic interviewing and digital photography to document parts of the Rondo community today. I would recommend this book to CTEP members working in St. Paul, especially in or near the Rondo neighborhood (University-Marshall, Lexington-Rice St.) It gives a good history of this time period in the city and what sorts of social barriers were in place, as well as what things in the community brought people together.

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I read The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. This is a journalistic (but highly literary) account of a Hmong-American girl with severe epilepsy, her parents who speak no English and have no comprehension of the American medical system, and her American doctors who have no idea how to communicate with her family. The girl, Lia Lee, is too young to speak for herself, and while both her parents and her doctors want only the best for her, their ideas of “the best” are so different that neither side is able to fully care for her. The parents have a very traditional understanding of what causes Lia’s disease and how to interpret and treat it. At best, they think the medical system is cold and uncaring; at worst, they think American medicine is harming Lia. The doctors, for their part, think the Lee family is stubborn and belligerent for not following their directions (even though the Lees do not understand their daughter’s complicated medication regimen or even the disease itself), and they believe the family is incapable of caring for their daughter. The book is particularly notable for the author’s own stance towards the culture clash: Anne Fadiman is a white American journalist, but she goes out of her way to be transparent about her own cultural biases and viewpoints and how they affect her understanding of the situation. She tries to understand the Lees, Hmong culture and history, and American medical culture on their own terms as much as she can as an outsider. She doesn’t pretend she understands everything, and she constantly reevaluates her own voice as author.

As someone who works mostly with refugees and immigrants from cultures vastly different from my own, I found this book catalytic to my understanding of my work. I am a white American in a position of power in my computer lab. I speak English, I am fluent in the local culture, I teach skills that may seem terrifyingly new and complicated, and let's not forget that I am a part of the (seemingly scary and dehumanizing) public assistance system. I could easily act like Lia’s doctors. I could teach prescriptively: “You must apply for such-and-such job, you must fill out your forms this way or you won’t get your bus fare subsidies, you must show up at 9 AM and leave at 12,” and so on—in fact, I have to do that; I work for a government contractor and there's not much wiggle room where forms and attendance are concerned. But that just means that I have to go out of my way to understand where my clients are coming from. I notice that if I show interest in their cultures, try to learn words in their languages, and ask about their children or their goals, my clients become a lot more comfortable with me. They have to come to my lab as part of their welfare plans, but they shouldn’t feel alienated like the Lees did. I can teach them more, and they learn much better, if they are relaxed and happy than if they’re overwhelmed and lost. I also need to be conscious that many of the things I take for granted culturally do not make sense to clients from other cultures. So overall, this book raised many important questions for me to apply to my work, and they will continue to be food for thought.

I recommend this book to any fellow CTEPer working with immigrants, refugees, or asylees; to anyone trying to be more aware of their cultural context; to people who want to teach with more compassion and less rigidity; and to anyone with an interest in Hmong history/culture or the difficulties faced by refugee communities in the US.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. This is a collection of oral histories from St. Paulites who resided in the former Rondo neighborhood that was demolished to make way for Interstate 94. The neighborhood was primarily black residents and very close knit. I enjoyed this book as my mother grew up near this area, attended Mechanic Arts High School and I was primarily raised in the neighboring area of Frogtown. The oral histories span from the early 1900s up to the 1990s. I recognized many names and was surprised to see that one of the historians, William Collins Jr., is the father of two of my classmates from elementary school. I also recognized the Frelix family. This book did raise some questions as it felt like many of the stories were about how safe and close knit everyone was toward each other; is this somehow romanticizing this bygone era? Is it racist to wish it was still like those days? I found myself feeling wistful about how nice it sounded but then I felt guilty thinking that because by thinking that is it essentially thinking that “that’s how black people should be?” I find myself questioning my own thoughts and recognizing that they may be biased. I recognize these biases after finishing How to Be Anti Racist by Ibrahim Kendi. I even question if some of the contributors possibly had assimilationist views. But then find myself thinking that as a white person, should I be questioning the views of another person’s stories? A person of color?
I loved this book and I especially loved that I can drive around to some of these locations that are still there as I still live very close to this historic area. Anyone who is interested in local St. Paul history, Black History would like this book. I highly recommend it.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous treasury of thirty-three oral histories of Black men and women who grew up and lived in St. Paul in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. They often talk about their parents and grandparents and so you feel the people, community and times from the 1880s to 2005 when the book was published. James Baldwin said "I am what time, circumstance, history, have made of me, certainly, but I am also, much more than that. So are we all. " In this book we get to know individuals but also get some understanding of their time, circumstance and history. And we are all richer for that.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked it up because of Documentary film by Rondo youth–Rondo: Beyond the Pavement on and wanted to read more.

[Kelsey Grachek · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first apartment out of college was in this part of town, so it was so special to read about the history of such a beloved area in St. Paul.