Overview: Reclaiming Space & Legacy
Contributing writer Aamira Redd takes readers inside the inaugural Selby Arts and Cultural Day, where community members, city leaders, and local legends gathered to launch the Rondo African American Arts District (RAAD). From new light pole flags lining Selby Avenue to upcoming mural projects, this story explores how Rondo is honoring its past while building real infrastructure for Black and Brown creatives to thrive today.
A longtime vision to create a space that honors Rondo’s artists and creatives has finally
become a reality.
On Saturday, July 25, the community celebrated the inaugural Selby Arts and Cultural Day and the grand opening of the Rondo African American Arts District (RAAD), hosted by the Rondo Community Land Trust.
The celebration brought together local artists, vendors, musicians and community members for a day of art, culture and live entertainment.
A Visible Symbol of Pride
The celebration also included the unveiling of the district’s official RAAD flags, which will line light poles along Selby Avenue from Dale Street to Lexington Parkway.
The flags serve as a visible symbol of the district, honoring the artists, history and cultural legacy that continue to define and shape the Rondo community.
History, Resilience, and the Impact of I-94
For generations, Rondo has been a center of Black culture, entrepreneurship and community in St. Paul.
Once home to one of the largest African American communities in Minnesota, the
neighborhood was deeply impacted by the construction of Interstate 94 in the 1960s, which displaced hundreds of residents and businesses and physically divided the community.
Despite these challenges, Rondo’s history, traditions and cultural contributions have endured through generations of residents, artists and community leaders.
“So much love, care, consideration and frustration went into making sure not only this day happens, but laying down the foundation for our Rondo African American Arts District. We are reclaiming our time, reclaiming our community and reclaiming our greatness,” said St. Paul City Council member Anika Bowie at the event’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
For over 10 years, the vision to have a space for Rondo creatives has been under
development.
According to Mikeya Griffin, president and CEO of the Rondo Community Land
Trust, the journey to establishing the Rondo African American Arts District was years in the making, with progress often facing minor setbacks and delays.
“We wanted to make sure that we were connecting with the right artist and historian and partners to help us continue to carry things through, and it really started with just some
placekeeping things,” said Griffin.
Economic Repair & Amplifying Black Creatives
Taylan De Johnette, arts and cultural program advisor for the Rondo Community Land Trust, noted that the creation of the Rondo African American Arts District was about more than establishing a physical space, it was about recognizing the talent already present in the neighborhood and creating opportunities for local artists to thrive.
“We realize that there is a lot of local talent in Rondo that deserves a platform to be seen and acknowledged,” De Johnette said.
“There’s a lot of history here in the neighborhood as well, we wanted to come up with something that was going to amplify and bring opportunities for the Black and Brown
artists who are here in the neighborhood, just because there is a lack of infrastructure, of arts and culture work, down Selby Ave., and we wanted to find a way to do that, but also tie it into some of the economic repair work that we do with our Community Land Trust.”
Artist, Rondo native and Hallie Q. Brown Community Center Executive Director Benny Roberts emphasized the importance of celebrating Rondo’s cultural heritage while recognizing the prominent figures whose contributions helped shape the community’s history and legacy.
“The Rondo African American Arts District is not just about celebrating our art heritage now and knowing about the beautiful artists that are here. It’s a shame if you’ve never heard of Percy Hughes. It’s a shame if you’ve never heard of Melvin Carter Sr. It’s a shame if you never heard of Donald Walker.
This is about telling the whole story, including everyone,” said Roberts.
He continued: “Today is the first day of a launch pad of something deeper, something
intentional for our community, so when people come to our community, and they want to find out who the dancers are, they want to find out who the musicians are, and the singers, and the institutions that formed them, they’re gonna come back home.”
Murals and the Future of RAAD
The Rondo Community Land Trust has plans to commission around seven to 10 murals in the next couple of years, which will add to the existing murals located on the Mississippi Co-Op and at the Rondo Community Land Trust building.
Learn more about the Rondo African-American Arts District.
Aamira Redd is a contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. She welcomes reader responses at aamiraredd@gmail.com.