Titles: Rondo Oral History Project (Supplied title)
Description: Collection of interviews, created by Hand in Hand Productions, capturing the lives and experiences of long time residents of St. Paul, Minnesota's Rondo community, an urban neighborhood situated near the city's downtown commercial district. A mixed neighborhood with respect to ethnicity and income, it has been home to a significant African American population since the early 1900s and was a particularly vibrant community in the 1930s. The neighborhood was essentially devastated by the construction of Interstate Highway 94 through its center in the 1960s. Many of its African American inhabitants, businesses, churches, fraternal orders, and social clubs were displaced into more segregated locales where they faced discrimination in housing and other areas. Subjects discussed by the interviewees include life in the Rondo community, including the role of music, church, and social clubs; resistance and reaction to the highway construction; eviction from Rondo Avenue and trying to find housing elsewhere, transitioning from predominantly black schools to predominantly white schools, and discrimination outside Rondo; racism; employment opportunities during World War II and the subsequent loss of opportunities after the war; military experiences during the war, including in the Tuskegee Airmen and in a Navy band; activities at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and the Sterling Club; work experiences of both men and women of the community; obstacles to achieving success; and both male and female service in the St. Paul Police Department.
Dates
Interviews
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Don Gaugh Wilson' <OH 110.33>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Gloria Ellen Gilbreath Wilson' <OH 110.34>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Barbara "Petey" Vassar Gray' <OH 110.13>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Mary Chambers Bradley Hamilton' <OH 110.15>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Melvin T. Henderson' <OH 110.16>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Ora Lee O'Neal Patterson' <OH 110.24>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Dr. Constance Raye Jones Price' <OH 110.25>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Wilbert John Dugas, Jr.' <OH 110.8>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with William L. Collins, Jr.' <OH 110.6>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Ventress Laroe Jackson Roberson' <OH 110.26>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Floyd George Smaller, Jr.' <OH 110.27>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Mary Kalleen Murray Boyd' <OH 110.4>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Benjamin Louis Alexander' <OH 110.1>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Marvin Roger Anderson' <OH 110.3>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Teresina "Willow" Carter Frelix' <OH 110.10>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Willie Lee Frelix' <OH 110.11>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Kathryn Coram Gagnon' <OH 110.12>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Nathaniel Abdul Khaliq' <OH 110.17>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Gloria Jeanne Lindstrom Lewis' <OH 110.18>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Yusef Mgeni' <OH 110.21>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Richard Morris Mann' <OH 110.19>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Gloria Yvonne Presley Massey' <OH 110.20>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Debbie Gilbreath Montgomery' <OH 110.23>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Alumni of the Three-Fours Girls Club' <OH 110.2>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, transcript: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Melvin Whitfield Carter, Sr.' <OH 110.5>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, transcript: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Anisah Hanifah Dawan' <OH 110.7>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, transcript: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with William Kelso Finney' <OH 110.9>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, transcript: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with James Stafford Griffin' <OH 110.14>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, transcript: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Gladys Versie Clemons Miller' <OH 110.22>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, transcript: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Floyd George Smaller, Jr. and Marvin Roger Anderson' <OH 110.28>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, transcript: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with David Vassar Taylor' <OH 110.30>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, transcript: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Bernice Wilson' <OH 110.32>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with Buelah Mae Vivian Baines Swan' <OH 110.29>
- Oral History - Interview, MHS Collection, sound cassette: 'Rondo Oral History Project: Interview with H. Janabelle Murphy Taylor' <OH 110.31>
Creation
- interviewer: Cavett, Kate
- interviewer: Anderson, Manny
- interviewer: Biewen, John
- interviewer: Bonkowske, Christina
- interviewer: Brandt, Sarah
- interviewer: Dosen, Tony O.
- interviewer: Heiss, Bettina
- interviewer: Kopp, Krissy
- interviewer: Shifferd, Kent
- interviewer: Zielinski, Kimberly K.
- interviewee: Alexander, Benjamin Louis
- interviewee: Anderson, Marvin Roger
- interviewee: Boyd, Mary Kalleen Murray
- interviewee: Carter, Melvin Whitfield Jr,
- interviewee: Collins, William L. Jr.
- interviewee: Crutchfield, Patricia Wilson
- interviewee: Dawan, Anisah Hanifah
- interviewee: Dawson, Carol
- interviewee: Dugas, Wilbert John Jr.
- interviewee: Finney, William Kelso
- interviewee: Frelix, Teresina Carter
- interviewee: Frelix, Willie Lee
- interviewee: Gagnon, Kathryn Coram
- interviewee: Garrett, Linda Griffin
- interviewee: Gray, Barbara Vassar
- interviewee: Griffin, James S. (James Stafford)
- interviewee: Hamilton, Mary Chambers Bradley
- interviewee: Hayes, Vanne Owens
- interviewee: Henderson, Melvin T.
- interviewee: Khaliq, Nathaniel Abdul
- interviewee: Lewis, Gloria Jeanne Lindstrom
- interviewee: Mann, Richard Morris
- interviewee: Massey, Gloria Yvonne Presley
- interviewee: Mgeni, Yusef
- interviewee: Miller, Gladys Versie Clemons
- interviewee: Mitchell, Paula Thomason
- interviewee: Montgomery, Deborah Gilbreath - Minnesota Department of Public Safety
- interviewee: Patterson, Ora Lee O'Neal
- interviewee: Price, Dr. Constance Raye Jones
- interviewee: Roberson, Ventress Laroe Jackson
- interviewee: Smaller, Floyd George Jr.
- interviewer and interviewee: Swan, Buelah Mae Vivian Baines
- interviewee: Taylor, David Vassar
- interviewee: Taylor, Janabelle Murphy
- interviewee: Wilson, Bernice
- interviewee: Wilson, Don Gaugh
- interviewee: Wilson, Gloria Ellen Gilbreath
Identifiers
Holding Type: Oral History - Project
Quantity:
1 project
33 sound cassettes
1914 pages transcript
61 audio files
Format
Subjects
- Cavett, Kate
- Anderson, Manny
- Biewen, John
- Bonkowske, Christina
- Brandt, Sarah
- Dosen, Tony O.
- Heiss, Bettina
- Kopp, Krissy
- Shifferd, Kent
- Zielinski, Kimberly K.
- Alexander, Benjamin Louis
- Anderson, Marvin Roger
- Boyd, Mary Kalleen Murray
- Carter, Melvin Whitfield Jr,
- Collins, William L. Jr.
- Crutchfield, Patricia Wilson
- Dawan, Anisah Hanifah
- Dawson, Carol
- Dugas, Wilbert John Jr.
- Finney, William Kelso
- Frelix, Teresina Carter
- Frelix, Willie Lee
- Gagnon, Kathryn Coram
- Garrett, Linda Griffin
- Gray, Barbara Vassar
- Griffin, James S. (James Stafford)
- Hamilton, Mary Chambers Bradley
- Hayes, Vanne Owens
- Henderson, Melvin T.
- Khaliq, Nathaniel Abdul
- Lewis, Gloria Jeanne Lindstrom
- Mann, Richard Morris
- Massey, Gloria Yvonne Presley
- Mgeni, Yusef
- Miller, Gladys Versie Clemons
- Mitchell, Paula Thomason
- Montgomery, Deborah Gilbreath - Minnesota Department of Public Safety
- Patterson, Ora Lee O'Neal
- Price, Dr. Constance Raye Jones
- Roberson, Ventress Laroe Jackson
- Smaller, Floyd George Jr.
- Swan, Buelah Mae Vivian Baines
- Taylor, David Vassar
- Taylor, Janabelle Murphy
- Wilson, Bernice
- Wilson, Don Gaugh
- Wilson, Gloria Ellen Gilbreath