Voices of Rondo: Oral Histories of Saint Paul's Historic Black Community

by Kate Cavett (With)

Overview

In Voices of Rondo, real-life stories illuminate the northern urban Black experience during the first half of the twentieth century, through the memories and reflections of residents of Saint Paul’s historic Rondo community. We glimpse the challenges of racism and poverty and share the victories of a community that educated its children to become strong, to find personal pride, and to become the next generation of leaders in Saint Paul and beyond.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452956176
Publisher:	University of Minnesota Press
Publication date:	07/04/2017
Series:	A Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	392
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Kate Cavett has collected oral histories from more than two hundred men, women, elders, youth, and community members. In 1996 she cofounded Hand in Hand Productions, a nonprofit oral history organization based in Saint Paul. She was a consulting producer of Oh Freedom over Me, a documentary for American Public Radio that considers the history of Mississippi Freedom Summer 1964 as a challenge to address racism today.

David Vassar Taylor, professor, historian, and higher education administrator, grew up in Saint Paul’s Rondo neighborhood. Between 1974 and 1975 he was appointed director of the Minnesota Black History Project for the Minnesota Historical Society. His books include African Americans in Minnesota and Cap Wigington: An Architectural Legacy in Ice and Stone.

Table of Contents

A Definition of Oral History xi

Foreword David Vassar Taylor xii

Map of the Rondo Neighborhood xvi

Voices of Rondo

Mary Chambers Bradley Hamilton 3

Richard Morris Mann 9

Willie Lee Frelix 21

Benjamin Louis Alexander Senior 30

Gladys Clemons Miller 36

Anisah Hanifah Dawan 42

H. Janabelle Murphy Taylor 50

Bernice Greenfield Wilson 56

James Stafford Griffin 65

Melvin Whitfield Carter Senior 79

Ventress Laroe Jackson Roberson 92

Gloria Ellen Gilbreath Wilson 97

Buelah Mae Vivian Baines Swan 101

Gloria Jeanne Lindstrom Lewis 112

Don Gough Wilson 122

Constance Jones Price 134

Barbara "Petey" Vassar Gray 149

Kathryn Coram Gagnon 158

Gloria Yvonne Presley Massey 175

Floyd George Smaller Junior 181

Marvin Roger Anderson 187

Ora Lee O'Neal Patterson 200

Mary Kalleen Murray Boyd 207

Nathaniel Abdul Khaliq 221

Alumni of the Three Fours Girls Club 230

Mary K. Murray Boyd

Carol Jean Dawson

Linda Ruby Griffin Garrett

Vanne Hazel Owens Hayes

Paula Patricia Thomason Mitchell

Melvin Thomas Henderson 249

Deborah Gilbreath Montgomery 259

David Vassar Taylor 270

Teresina "Willow" Carter Frelix 280

William "Billy" L. Collins Junior 284

Wilbert John Dugas junior 293

William Kelso "Corky" Finney 298

Yusef Mgeni 309

Final Word David Vassar Taylor 325

The History of the Rondo Oral History Project 327

Acknowledgments 330

Guide for Grandparents, Parents, and Teachers 334

Index 353

Editorial Reviews

"Reflections from this rich variety of persons whose lives were a part and parcel of that once vibrant community make for a compellingly grand and informative narrative."—Mahmoud El-Kati, Macalester College

"I truly enjoyed reading the stories of this distinguished group of African Americans, many of whom I have come to know quite well. Through their voices, I now have a much deeper understanding of the community that nurtured their talents."—Dr. Patricia A. Harvey, former Superintendent of Saint Paul Public Schools

From the Publisher