
Saint Paul Almanac, in partnership with St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN) and High School for Recording Arts (HSRA), presents Rondo: Beyond the Pavement, a new student-produced film and podcast that chronicles the history of a once-thriving African American neighborhood torn apart by the Interstate 94 corridor. Read the press release here
Watch Bianca Rhodes being featured on Kare11.com news article.
NEXT FILM SHOWINGS
360 University Ave W#103
St Paul, MN 55103
after the film.
839 University Ave. W.
St. Paul, MN 55104
FILM FESTIVAL SHOWINGS




RONDO: Beyond the Pavement is an official selection for April 2019 at the Indie Short Fest at the Los Angeles International Film Festival.
Indie Short Fest Los Angeles
indieshortfest.com

RONDO: Beyond the Pavement is an official selection for April 2019 at the Universe Multicultural Film Festival.
umfilms.org

RONDO: Beyond the Pavement is an official selection for March 2019 at SXSW EDU 2019.
Schedule.sxswedu.com/2019/events/PP103006
RONDO: Beyond the Pavement is an official selection for February 2019 at the Yofi Microfest Black History Showcase.
https://www.yofidmac.com/black-history-month-showcase

CREATED AND PRODUCED



PARTNERS


FUNDERS


The song “Rondo Street”
Produced By: Hubert Eaves III for Sallyson/Huemar Music, Inc.
Musicians
Richard (Dicky) Lowe – Additional Guitar
Learning about what happened in the Rondo community while interviewing those who witnessed their homes being destroyed was heartbreaking. It was astounding the resilience they showed. It lit a fire in me. Rondo never stopped trying to rebuild what was there. It gave me a lot of confidence in myself to go after what I love to do in life. I learned that I-94 going through Rondo was a power struggle to limit what the black community could actually do. It didn’t stop us at all.
If we know who we are and who we came from, it helps us to go forward in our lives. If we know nothing about our history, then how are we to know about our future?
Community reaction to viewing RONDO: Beyond the Pavement

The stories you will hear on this podcast are from the people who lived or live in the Rondo neighborhood in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
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.”
Podcast 3
Rondo resident Donna Evans
Podcast 2
Rondo resident Melvin Emanuel
Podcast 1
Rondo resident Miss Margaret Lovejoy