Rondo CLT Business Spotlight: In Black Ink

Fostering Small Business Growth Through Affordable Office Space

In 2017, Rondo CLT became the first community land trust in Minnesota to apply the model for commercial uses. Leveraging the land trust as a central tool to grow the financial sustainability of entrepreneurs, this initiative is a cornerstone in the effort to support Black owned businesses and foster small business growth.

To advance this mission, Rondo CLT introduced its Selby Milton Victoria (SMV) Project in 2019. The project’s two mixed-use buildings provide 9,300 square feet of long-term affordable commercial space along with 34 units of affordable senior housing. For tenants like the publishing initiative In Black Ink, this means access to affordable office space that is essential for sustainability.

This past March, an opportunity arose to move In Black Ink to a more visible space on Selby Avenue. This move gives its founder, Rekhet Si-Asar, a better platform to scale her organization. Recently, we had the opportunity to sit down with Rekhet and learn more about her story and journey to starting In Black Ink.

A Founder's Journey and the Fight for Black Storytelling

As a child, Rekhet Si-Asar loved writing. Sharing that she was a very shy kid, Rekhet stated that she found writing to be an ideal fit for her when needing to communicate. . She tutored other students when she was in college, supporting peers who were learning English as a second language. But the education system taught her to doubt her talents.

When she came to the University of Minnesota for graduate school, she recalls, “they put me in remedial English because that’s where they put all the Black students” — despite testimonies from her past professors. That treatment illustrated a toxic psychology that has intentionally undermined Black storytelling.

“It’s not just that we don’t have a lot of books [written by and about Black people],” Rekhet explains. “We don’t have enough skilled professionals in the area. The issue is not a lack of intelligence; instead, access has been intentionally and strategically denied. Our elders are especially afraid to put their thoughts, experiences, and wishes for themselves down on paper, often fearing how others may judge or respond to their life choices.” She adds that because writing is such a personal, yet permanent, expressive tool that many elders don't feel comfortable having their thoughts edited, a key barrier to African American storytelling.

The Birth of In Black Ink: A Hub for Black Publishing

Creating In Black Ink wasn’t something Rekhet planned. “It wasn’t my idea,” she says with a smile. As educators, she and her husband set out to create culturally relevant school curriculum, but people started approaching them for support in publishing their memoirs or books. To meet that need, they started Papyrus Publishing in 1998.

“The inspiration began with Kofi Bobby Hickman as a pillar in the community, and we wanted to make sure his story was captured and shared,” she says. “We brought together 21 consultants from across the state—including Elder Mahmoud El-Kati, Tish Jones, Vusi and the Late Nothando Zulu, and others.” With a grant from the Minnesota Historical Society, they held community listening sessions. “We asked who’s capturing your stories, and where are they being held? We were able to ascertain the need for a formal body to make the impact envisioned by the community.”

That formal body became In Black Ink, an arts initiative dedicated to celebrating, documenting, and archiving the voices of people of African heritage through publications, professional development training opportunities, and public presentations. It stands as a vital resource for Black publishing.

Deep Roots and Community Impact in Rondo

In less than a decade, they collected the personal archives and helped to publish the stories of elders like Jacqueline “Lady J” Maddix (Root Wisdom from the Elders Circle) and Ethel Ray (Living in the White, Gray, and Black). In Black Ink hosted workshops and conducted interviews to chart the migration stories of Black families in Minnesota. They convene the Sankofa Event and Series annually, which includes an intergenerational forum to discuss critical and relevant community issues; curating a related publication on the topic, like Black Media in Minnesota, or education.

But while the initiative is statewide, its roots run deep in Rondo. Rondo was one of the largest black communities in the state for a long time, Rekhet says, including her husband, who was born and raised and still has family in the neighborhood. They continue to own his grandmother’s house which has been in the Parks-Lynn family for over 60 years.  In 2019, Rondo became the home to In Black Ink, moving into an office space in Rondo CLT’s SMV development. 

“It started out as we have to be in this community because of the rich history and culture and people,” Rekhet says. “So many guardians of our culture live here. So when Mychael and Stephanie [Wright], were moving into Golden Thyme, they asked In Black Ink to join them in the CLT building as community neighbors. They liked the idea of having a literary arts organization connected to the coffee shop. Golden Thyme often offered to display In Black Ink’s new publications, activities calendar, and upcoming events. They also opened their space for us to use for our small community gatherings. It was a really nice relationship.”

For Rekhet, relationships are at the center of the work. It’s about the intergenerational relationships, when young folks facilitate table discussions at the Sankofa Events and college students work as interns on various publications. It’s about the relationships with other institutions in the community, like Hallie Q Brown Community Center and Macalester College. And it’s about the relationships that connect us to our past and pave the way for our futures.

Building a Legacy of Support and Collaboration

“Rondo is a community that has recreated itself,” Rekhet says. “As a people, we do that all the time; we constantly recreate ourselves, like a butterfly effect. So with the CLT having the space and moving over here, we’ve been able to build on some of what we initially envisioned. We want literacy, books, history, and stories to be central in this community—and the energy is growing.”

She is excited by Rondo CLT’s broader efforts to re-establish the neighborhood as a Black cultural destination with a specific focus on Selby Avenue as an African American Arts and Cultural corridor. “We want to be living in a community that’s beautiful and feels good. It does a lot for our spirit. You need to pay attention to those nuances to uplift the community, make sure the streets have plants or flowers, and no trash. It makes you feel like you’re in a space that respects you and you can respect it.”

One way In Black Ink is honoring the Rondo community is through the Rondo children's book series, inspired by Elder Marvin R. Anderson of the Rondo Center of Diverse Expression, aimed at introducing eight Rondo core values to youth. Writers and artists with direct connections to the community were selected to research, write and share the lore and lessons of a neighborhood that thrived in a time of segregation and discrimination to raise healthy, successful, and visionary young people. Another way they hope to steward the next generation is through the Parks-Lynn Legacy House—the home they own in the Rondo neighborhood.

“The home will become a literary hub with small archival spaces, reading rooms, and an artist loft,” she says. “We’re trying to maintain some of the history of and in the community. The house is three blocks from Maxfield Elementary, three blocks from Central High School, and a bunch of churches. We’re still in the early planning stages, but folks have been really excited about the potential presented by this project.”

That attitude of solidarity extends beyond the neighborhood. Rekhet is quick to name other Black women in the Black publishing space who form a vital support network: Dr. Ebony Aya of Aya Collective, Mary Taris of Strive Publishing and Bookstore, Dr. Talaya Tolefree of Sankofa Moments Publishing, and Dara Beevas of Wise Ink. Over the past several years, they’ve made several attempts to come together regularly to create a network of support.

“We know at any given time we’re all struggling and want to be respectful of what each other are doing,” she says. “The landscape is large enough for us to coexist in ways that nurture and raise up our businesses. I’m trying to find the folks that are doing similar work and elevating them because I don’t see In Black Ink doing this forever. It doesn’t have to be us but it does have to go on.”

How can you support In Black Ink? Check out their website and social media to find ways to donate, volunteer or participate!

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