Juneteenth celebrated in Rondo as reparations work continues

Juneteenth celebrated in Rondo as reparations work continues There was a large celebration commemorating Juneteenth in St. Paul’s historic Rondo neighborhood on Wednesday. “Good music, good food, sunshine, people smiling,” said Pastor Joseph Webb IV with The Way Church in St. Paul. “This is the highlight of what St. Paul is.” The national holiday recognizes the day enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom, years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Webb sees the holiday as a day to look to the future. “We can highlight what has happened, what we overcame, and where we are now building relationships,” he said. The gathering closed off the block around the Rondo Commemorative Plaza, which reminds the public that the neighborhood was divided by I-94 decades ago. Reconnect Rondo engaged the crowd to educate them about the possibility of creating a land bridge to bring the neighborhood back together. “It’s really important especially for us young people to really get that message out,” said Moises Soto Puente, an intern with Reconnect Rondo. “I think it’s really important to show when a community comes together, great things can happen.” The highway construction displaced hundreds of homes and businesses. That’s one of the harms...