5 Ways We Made Black History in 2024

As many Organization's celebrate Black History Month in February, Rondo Community Land Trust is proud to be making Black history every day of the year.

As we lift up everywhere we go, the community land trust model in the United States was born of Black brilliance. Last February, we wrote about the origin of CLTs in the American South with the establishment of New Communities — a model created explicitly so Black folks could own and control land to shape their own collective futures.

In 1993, Rondo became the first CLT in the state of Minnesota, and for the past three decades we’ve embodied principles of cooperative stewardship. In deep collaboration with our community, we’ve secured and preserved property and land so that the Black families and businesses that were dispossessed by the destruction of the I-94 freeway can return — and new Black families and businesses can put down roots.

Like our Rondo ancestors who made history with cooperative endeavors like the Credjefawn Social Club and grocery store, Rondo CLT is breaking new ground, gaining international recognition for its innovative Reparative Development Framework that incorporates principles of culture, healing, democratic labor and shared ownership. So as we honor Black History this month, we’re looking back at how our efforts in 2024 contributed to the past and future prosperity of Rondo, Saint Paul, and greater Ramsey County.

Advancing Black leadership

As an organization, we’ve gathered tremendous momentum in recent years. Since the arrival of our current Executive Director (and daughter of Rondo), Mikeya Griffin, our budget has increased from just $300,000 in 2021 to more than $2.4 million in 2024, and from 1.5 full-time staff in 2021 to 7 FTE in 2024. But it’s more than just financial capacity. Appointed in 2022, Mikeya continues to be the first Black chair of the Minnesota Community Land Trust Coalition and, in 2024, our staff was more than 50% Black. By spring 2025, we aim to grow to 10 staff, increasing our outreach and impact of our innovative reparative framework.

Boosting Black homeownership

One of our core goals at Rondo CLT is to increase Black homeownership in Rondo and across Ramsey County. In 2024, we boosted the number of participants attending our homeownership orientations by 200%, connecting with more than 600 people — 80% of whom identified as Black, Indigenous or people of color (BIPOC). We also celebrated 31 new CLT homeowners in 2024 alone — a 280% increase from the year before. Of those households, more than 50% were Black, including Kayla Swanson who said: “The Rondo Community Land Trust allowed me to achieve my dream of home ownership. Thanks to receiving grant funds and the support of the amazing Rondo CLT staff I am now building equity and increasing my net worth with the hopes of building generation wealth for the future.”

Supporting Black businesses

For decades, Rondo was a thriving Black commercial district with shops and services owned by and designed for our community. Despite the destruction of 300 businesses in the 1960s, that vibrant spirit of entrepreneurship and commitment to collective prosperity has persevered through the years. At Rondo CLT, we’re using our Reparative Framework to support and resource Black and BIPOC-owned businesses all along the Selby Avenue corridor. In 2024, we supported dozens of small businesses with one-to-one technical assistance, including recruiting and advising a cohort of 26 entrepreneurs for the Plan It! training provided by the Neighborhood Development Center. Of the 30 businesses that completed our Business Intake Form and 15 that applied to be part of our Rondo Exchange incubator (opening in 2025!) 90% are fully or partially Black-owned.

Sharing the story of Rondo, and the power of CLTs

Despite its Black roots, only a handful of CLTs are led by and center Black people, even in the United States. While the International Center for Community Land Trusts estimates there are at least 600 CLTs across the globe, the sector is still a predominantly white space that too often erases its Black history and fails to leverage the powerful model as a means to actively repair the theft of land and labor from generations of Black people. That’s why we’re so committed to sharing our story — and the story of Rondo — across Minnesota, the United States and the world. In 2024 alone, we presented at more than a dozen conferences, panels and other convenings, including a press conference on the Homes Act in Washington, D.C., the Midwest Community Land Trust Conference, the Kresge Foundation’s 100 Year Anniversary, and so many more. We also hosted on-site tours for powerful stakeholders, from local state legislators to more than a dozen Black leaders from the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts.

Lifting up and celebrating our own

While we have a long way to go in achieving our big vision, we know how important it is to celebrate our success and honor the people making history here in Rondo every day. To elevate our collective efforts, we hosted our first Annual Gala in 2024 and more than 200 people attended. With Black entertainment and a chef-catered meal, we not only lifted up our work at Rondo CLT but celebrated the impact of six local leaders with our first annual Legacy Awards honoring Shirley and William Land, Sylvia and Stokley Williams, and Dr. Robin and Steve Hickman-Winfield. Stay tuned for more about our 2025 Gala!

So how can you join us in making Black history this month? One way is to take the INSPIREquity pledge! Rondo CLT is proud to be part of this new campaign that invites everyday people to commit at least 1% of their net worth over the next three years to Black-led efforts working to close the racial wealth gap. Learn more about the pledge and how you can support Rondo CLT here.