Brown Community Center is an African-American not-for-profit social service agency located in the Rondo neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota, US, founded in 1929.
HQB administers the Martin Luther King Service Center which consists of a little over half of the building and houses other agencies and organizations providing programming in the arts, recreation and other social and civic issues, including the nationally recognized Penumbra Theater Company.
The City of Saint Paul administers the Martin Luther King Recreation Center, which consists of the remaining part of the overall building.
[1] It currently provides services every year to as many as 50,000 people, including food support, child care, senior programs, and cultural activities.
[2] Programming of the center ranges from basic - food drives and clothing closet - to social, developmental and professional opportunities such as 'Prepare and Prosper' - free tax preparation services from January through April; and Project CHEER - free piano and guitar lessons - supported by the Schubert Club.
[2][4][5][6] The history of Black life in Minnesota extends back to the eighteenth century, with George Bonga and Dred Scott.
[6] Some of the first Black community organizations included the Sons of Freedom, founded in 1968 to provide information on jobs, housing and apprenticeships to new residents of Minnesota.
Black residents of 15 counties formed the Minnesota Protective and Industrial League in 1887 in St. Paul, to support homeownership, jobs and education.
The first new organization resulting from these efforts was the Union Hall Association, which opened in 1914 and built a neighborhood center on one of the lots.
Her most popular publication, “Homespun Heroines” is the collection of life portraits of 60 history making African American women.
HQB’s food shelf is stocked with pantry items as well as fresh produce donated by local grocery program partners.
HQB's executive director at the time, Henry R. Thomas, formed a goal of launching a theater, and that became Penumbra.
People from across the Twin Cities metro area made use of HQB's food shelf, including residents of Lakeville, Coon Rapids and Rochester.