On April 1, Hallie Q. Brown Community Center celebrated its 96th anniversary with an event that honored its history, highlighted its present work, and laid out an ambitious vision for the future. Executive Director Benny Roberts delivered an impassioned speech about the center’s role in Rondo, the historic heart of St. Paul’s Black community, and called for continued investment in its people and resources.
“I’ve dedicated my whole life and service to community, but it’s different when you’re serving the community that gave you your first job,” Roberts said. “It’s different when you’re serving the community that says, ‘You’re going to college. Let me put some money in your pocket because I know college students are broke.’”
For nearly a century, Hallie Q. Brown Community Center has provided vital programs and services to Rondo residents. Its success, Roberts emphasized, has always been driven by the urgency of community needs.
“This organization was not started with a business plan,” he said. “There were community needs and no time. You had to have action.”
Now the center is preparing for its next chapter — a 25,000-square-foot expansion that Roberts described as long overdue.
“I’ve been mapping out a pre-capital campaign plan and designated a request for a 25,000-square-foot expansion to this building,” he announced. “And why? It’s because of the majority of this room.”
The planned expansion aims to tackle pressing concerns in the community, including health disparities, food insecurity, and environmental justice. Roberts pointed to alarming statistics on Black life expectancy in Minnesota, where Black men are expected to live only into their late 60s and Black women into their early 70s.
“That’s considered life for Black people in Minnesota, for St. Paul, for Ramsey County,” Roberts said. “And we all know that is highway robbery.”
He noted that Rondo possesses many characteristics of Blue Zones — regions where people live longer due to strong community ties, access to healthy food, and clean environments. Despite systemic barriers, Roberts believes Rondo embodies these traits in ways that should be nurtured.
“Our sense of self and community is so strong that it actually extends not only life but the quality of it,” he said.
Food insecurity remains a critical issue in the neighborhood. “This is literally a food desert,” Roberts said. “If I were to close the front door right now and say, ‘There’s no more food. Everybody go eat what you can get.’ Where are you going?”
He pointed to the closure of key grocery stores like Rainbow Foods and Walmart, with Cub Foods’ lease set to expire soon, further limiting food access. “Everyone is boycotting Target, and I understand. But Target is also a grocery store for this community,” he noted.
Another key concern is the lasting impact of Interstate 94, which cut through Rondo in the 1960s, displacing families and worsening health conditions in the area. Roberts highlighted the highway’s role in poor air quality and respiratory illnesses.
“In the state of Minnesota, the worst breathing issues come from 94 in St. Paul,” he said. “The worst cases of asthma, the most hospital visits, the poorest health conditions — all are a byproduct of the highway.”
Roberts says the center’s expansion is about more than just services — it’s about preserving Rondo’s history and fostering new gathering spaces. Roberts proposed a small grocery store, a museum, and a café to serve as cultural and social hubs for the community.
“If there’s one place you can live forever, it’s the place that holds your story. And that’s Hallie,” he said.
He also envisions a restaurant featuring menu items from Rondo’s past. “If you want to have a Clark’s sub, or that ice cream from Majestic Drug, you can come to Hallie,” Roberts said. “If you want to have something from the Booker Family Cookbook, you can come to Hallie. Not only are you eating physical food, you’re literally communing with your elders. You’re literally communing with your ancestors.”
Roberts emphasized that Hallie Q. Brown’s future depends on collective action. “Generosity is our signature,” he said. “And we won’t live just because Hallie’s thriving, but because we’re helping other organizations in this community thrive as well.”
As the event concluded, he urged attendees to support the expansion efforts through donations, advocacy, or just spreading the word.
“If we can crack this, we’ll have something scalable that can help support longevity in our community,” Roberts said.
With 96 years behind it, the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center remains a beacon of resilience, history and hope. As it moves toward its centennial, its leaders and community members are determined to ensure that Rondo’s legacy — and its people — continue to thrive for generations to come.
