Global Urban Humanities/Future Histories Lab

In the 1950s, the Minnesota Department of Transportation routed the highway connecting the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul through a predominantly Black neighborhood called Rondo, ultimately displacing 750 families through eminent domain. For over 50 years now, Rondo residents have asserted and reasserted control over their own narrative and historical memory. They have done so in part through a process of sharing artifacts and stories called History Harvest, which is the result of an academic-community partnership built on a foundation of shared authority and co-creation. In this discussion, Dr. Rebecca S. Wingo (Director of Public History, University of Cincinnati) will “lift the hood” on the Remembering Rondo History Harvest, outline key components to successful community-led engagement, and reveal the lessons she learned from missteps and planning errors.