Contact:
Clarence White
clarence@saintpaulalmanac.org
612-267-9036
SAINT PAUL (Dec. 10, 2018) – Saint Paul Almanac and In Black Ink, in partnership with Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN) and High School for Recording Arts (HSRA), will present a viewing of the Rondo youth–produced film RONDO: Beyond the Pavement on Monday, January 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. at SteppingStone Theatre, located at 55 Victoria Street in Saint Paul. Beginning February 2018, youth from the Rondo community learned documentary skills from Emmy Award–winning filmmaker Bianca Rhodes and audio-production skills from audio maker Katharine DeCelle. Rhodes produces Candy Fresh on SPNN, and DeCelle is director of Frogtown Radio. Youth artists Yevrah Bradley, Angelo Bush, Amina DeLeon, Lamara Greene, Aubriana Jackson, Deonte Jones, Jasmine McBride, Charles Miller, Jevrye Morris, Jose Quintanilla, and Destiny Roberts created the film.
“Learning about what happened in the Rondo community while interviewing those who witnessed their homes being destroyed was heartbreaking,” says Morris. “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.”
Georgia Fort provided transcription services and additional editing. Clarence White and Kemet Imhotep provided additional mentoring.
Rondo elders Melvin Emanuel, Donna Evans, Melvin Giles, Lorraine Gurley, Kathy Harris, Nina Harris, Bettie M. Lewis, Margaret Lovejoy, Marvin Scroggins, Amie D. Thomas, Gregory Thomas, and Jacquelyn Thomas were interviewed.
The 30-minute film screening will immediately be followed by a Q&A with the youth filmmakers and elders from the film and Rondo community. Refreshments will be served.
Storymobile, led by director Melvin Giles and manager Darius Gray, wanted to collect and preserve the historical memory of the Rondo neighborhood from a multigenerational perspective. Storymobile worked with Rondo youth to record stories of Rondo that give an intimate view of the impact the destruction of Rondo and construction of Interstate 94 had on people’s lives and how that impact continues today.
“If we know who we are and who we came from, it helps us to go forward in our lives,” says Donna Evans in the film. “If we know nothing about our history, then how are we to know about our future?”
Saint Paul Almanac is a literary-centered arts organization that has been publishing an annual book of Saint Paul stories and poems for more than a decade. We share stories across cultures and cultivate dialogue to promote understanding, relationships, and collaborative action.
In Black Ink is a social enterprise supporting and creating a rich literary culture in the African heritage community in Minnesota.
HSRA is dedicated to providing all young people a chance to realize their full potential, despite any previous setbacks. As we engage students through music and the exploration and operation of the music business, we demonstrate that core learning areas and real-world, twenty-first century skills can be acquired at the same time. More than just earning a high school diploma, HSRA prepares students for a positive post-secondary education and life.
SPNN’s mission is to empower people to use media and communications to better lives, use authentic voice, and build common understanding.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.