Learning from the People and Places of Rondo

Transform Minnesota brought the transformative practice of sankofa to St. Paul last month as 55 church leaders joined us in the Rondo neighborhood for our first ever in-person Sankofa @ Home experience. Built on the model of our Sankofa trips to the southeast, Sankofa @ Home offers participants the opportunity to learn about the historical realities of racism in Minnesota and understand how that legacy continues to affect our communities today. 

Our initial experience introduced participants to a neighborhood known largely to the outside for the highway which tore through its heart. What they found inside Rondo is a community that remains resilient and connected in the face of adversity.

Learning from place

The story of resilience is told through the people and places of Rondo. Churches in particular have consistently served as leaders throughout the history of the community. Participants visited three of these churches to learn about their ministry and history in the neighborhood: Pilgrim Baptist Church, St. Albans Church, and St. Peter Claver Catholic Church.

Participants also visited the Rondo Commemorative Plaza. The neighborhood was out celebrating Juneteenth, and participants were able to interact with neighbors and learn more about the neighborhood through a featured storyboard exhibit. Following the plaza visit, participants got a firsthand look at the physical impact of the highway as they returned to Pilgrim by crossing a pedestrian bridge over I-94–a bridge the church advocated for during the construction of the freeway in an effort to keep the neighborhood connected.

Learning from people

A highlight of the day for participants was hearing personal stories from community elders who grew up in Rondo. Nate Galloway, a longtime teacher in the St. Paul school system and Chair of the Pilgrim Baptist board of trustees, shared about the history of the church and its impact in the community. The day also featured a panel discussion with Debbie Montgomery, the first woman police officer with the SPPD and a former St. Paul City Council member, and Melvin Carter, Jr., former SPPD officer and father of current St. Paul mayor Melvin Carter III. Montgomery and Carter shared stories about growing up and working in Rondo. 

Benny Roberts, Executive Director of the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center (HQB), shared about growing up at HQB and the work the center has done for nearly 100 years. Roberts also offered a vision for the future of HQB and the ways it can continue to serve the community in the decades to come. 

We’re excited to host more Sankofa @ Home experiences in the future, including a dedicated Minneapolis experience planned for Fall 2025! Stay tuned to our events page for more information!

“Transform’s Sankofa experience helped us listen, learn, and celebrate what God is doing in the Rondo Neighborhood!”