Freeways like I-94 and I-35 displaced people, divided communities, and had environmental consequences, which continue to affect the natural environment and the health of those living near them. In this discussion, A Public History of 35W moderates a conversation about how people in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul are responding to social and environmental justice questions raised by freeway alignment projects in the past. A Public History of 35W is a community-collaborative oral history and research project on 35W in South Minneapolis from the University of Minnesota’s Heritage Studies and Public History Program.

Moderated by A Public History of 35W

Ernest Lloyd, former Director of Financial Operations and Support Services,  Minnesota Department of Transportation (PhD, Public Administration)

Greg Donofrio, Associate Professor and Director, Heritage Studies and Public History, University of Minnesota

Panelists

Marvin Anderson, Chair and CEO, Rondo Center of Diverse Expression (R/CODE) and Board Chair, Reconnect Rondo

Cyrus Knutson, Director, Center for Community Connections at Minnesota Department of Transportation

Brian Muthyala, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Minnesota

Co-host

This event is co-hosted by the Bell Museum in conjunction with the traveling exhibit Climates of Inequality: Stories of Environmental Justice.

Image credit

Saint Anthony Falls, 2020 . Carol M. Highsmith . Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division (LC-DIG-highsm- 63052)