Black intimacies with food sovereignty and land in the midst of gentrification in Saint Paul’s historic Rondo

Abstract

This article draws on ethnographic and visual documentation of the Aurora Saint Anthony Peace Garden in Saint Paul's historic Black neighborhood, Rondo. The article draws on these insights to argue that the Rondo-elder-led collective, Urban Farmer Garden Alliance, and the Aurora Saint Anthony Peace Garden create and sustain an intimacy of Black food sovereignty in the context of gentrification in Rondo. This paper also argues that the community gardens in Rondo are trying to restore collective Black intimacy with land and food disrupted by urban renewal along with lack of access to affordable food in this historic neighborhood in the Twin Cities.