Celebrating RCHS Authors from the Rondo Community

Writing a book or magazine article is no easy task. It can take months of research, organizing, writing, and rewriting all in an effort to tell the important histories of our community. This past summer, at the Juneteenth Celebration at the Rondo Center for Diverse Expression, we celebrated the hard work and determination of three local authors from St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood.

In 2019, Jeremiah Ellis (not pictured) wrote his first RCHS article titled, “St. Paul’s Distinct Leadership Tradition: A Century of The Sterling Club.”

Leetta Douglas (sitting, blue hat) wrote the 2020 article, “Votes for ‘Everywoman: Nellie Griswold Francis, the Women of Rondo, and Their Suffrage Crusade.”

And in 2022, Marion Kennon Jones (sitting, straw hat) authored two articles: “Fifty Years of Friendship Connected in Community Service: The Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter of The Links Incorporated” and “We Learn What We Live and Live What We Learn: Growing Up at 1022 Rondo Avenue.”

The three authors loved visiting with community members who stopped by the booth – many of whom were unaware of the histories shared by these authors and dozens of others who have written about Historic Rondo and the talented, determined African Americans who have left their marks on the City of St. Paul.