The Brothers of Rondo: A Legacy of Black Resilience (Documentary film)

The Brothers of Rondo chronicles the life stories of four men -- Lewis Scott, Russel T. Balenger, Readus W. Fletcher, Carl Griffin -- who grew up in the Rondo neighborhood of Saint Paul, enrolled at Minnesota State University Moorhead, and went on to become leaders in their respective areas of work and study.

Their stories demonstrate the importance of Black culture and community, and how the Rondo neighborhood -- and its destruction for the construction of I-94 -- were instrumental in laying a foundation of resilience in their lives. In the face of displacement, racism and economic adversity, the Brothers channeled lessons learned in Rondo to make a profound impact in their careers, communities, and the state of Minnesota.

#rondo #saintpaul #blackhistory #resilience #minnesota #history #documentary

Directed by
Francis Sampah

Story by
Caroline J. Sumlin and Francis Sampah

Executive Producer
Minnesota Historical Society

Interviewees
Marvin Roger Anderson
Dr. Yvonne Condell
Tom Hintgen
Dr. Larry Peterson
Jered Pigeon

Lead Producer
Caroline J. Sumlin

Director of Photography
Francis Sampah

Editor
Francis Sampah

Producers
Brett Baldwin
Jamie Kherbaoui
Markus Krueger
A’nia Nicole Rae

MNHS Production assistants
Aria Binns
Emilee Dehmer
Colin Dunn
Ned Hurley
Jenny McElroy
Basanti Miller
Razik Saifullah

Makeup
Abigail Asare

Rondo, Carl Griffin and I-94 animated segments
Voice over
Caroline J. Sumlin

Storyboarding
Jocelyn Martin

Animation
Dawn Charbonneau

Rondo and I-94 segments based on MNopedia articles by
Ehsan Alam
Tom Beer

Photographs
Compiled by Marvin Roger Anderson, Russel Balenger, Readus Fletcher, Lewis Scott and Minnesota Historical Society’s Collections and Reference departments.

Photographers
John Lee Banks, Jr.
Delia Elizabeth Chaney
Charles P. Gibson
Earl McGee
G. Jay Rice

Publishers
Buzz Brown Photographic Studios
Holmes, Payte & Buechner
Norton & Peel
St. Paul Dispatch-Pioneer Press
WPA Negative Collection

Special Thanks
Marvin Roger Anderson, Briana Joyner, Markus Krueger, Avi Viswanathan, Pilgrim Baptist Church, The Rondo Center, Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, University of Minnesota Mapping Prejudice Project.

Music
Rondo Street - Hubert Eaves
Ziv Grinberg - All The Peace Matters
Aija Alsina - Tuesday
The Magnetic Buzz - Ballroom Express
Ziv Moran - Easy-Peasy
Eureka Woods - Sibos Snuggle
Nsee - Forsaken
Yonatan Riklis - Pretty Dream
Megks - Sunbreath
Roie Shpigler - Sneak Peek
Prelude In C Sharp Minor, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Carl Griffin(Pianist)
Southside Aces - Minneapolis Bump
Raviv Leibzirer - Piano Sonata No. 14 in C MinorOp 27 Moonlight
Amos Ever Hadani - Going Wes
Roger Gabaldà - A little Peace
Simon Wester - Divine
Diamonds And Ice - Trust
Yehezkel Raz - Long Away
Gymnopedie 1 by Erik Satie - Carl Griffin, Pianist(December 2, 2012)

Funding for The Brothers of Rondo is provided by the State of Minnesota, the Legacy Amendment through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008, and the Minnesota Historical Society’s generous donors and members.

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