\u201cLove is power,\u201d said Mizz Mercedez\u2014and for anyone who\u2019s watched her work in the Rondo community, it\u2019s clear she lives by those words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Appearing on The Conversation with Al McFarlane on KFAI 90.3FM ahead of Rondo Days 2025, Mizz Mercedez didn\u2019t just reflect on her heritage\u2014she reaffirmed her mission: preserving Rondo\u2019s past while shaping its future. As the Community Engagement Director of 825 Arts, she serves as both steward and storyteller, ensuring that the neighborhood\u2019s legacy remains rooted in the hands of its people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe were a community\u2019s dream,\u201d she said, recalling how the historic building at 825 University Avenue was saved from demolition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fifteen years ago, the installation of the light rail at University and Victoria sparked resistance among Rondo-Frogtown residents. At the time, Model Cities planned to purchase and demolish the building to create a parking lot. But the community stood up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe community members said, \u2018No, this is a hundred-year-old building. We want an art center.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through that collective resistance, the building was preserved and ultimately designated a historic landmark. Still, no funding followed. \u201cSo for the past 15 years, we\u2019ve been raising money,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd finally, last year on August 25\u20148\/25\u2014we had our grand opening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Formerly known as the Victoria Theater Arts Center, the renaming to 825 Arts was a purposeful act of cultural reclamation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cQueen Victoria was not a reflection of our community. That name came from colonialism and racism\u2014that\u2019s not us,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Extensive community engagement followed. Suggestions like \u201cRondo Arts Center\u201d and \u201cFrondo\u201d (a blend of Frogtown and Rondo) were proposed. But after three months of input, one name rose to the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c825 Arts is what won,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I loved it\u2014because the community is diversifying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new name wasn\u2019t just symbolic; it was transformative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA lot of other cultures don\u2019t even realize their everyday practices are art\u2014because to them, it\u2019s just culture,\u201d she said. \u201cBut now, under 825 Arts, we\u2019re saying: \u2018No. What you\u2019re doing is art.\u2019 We showcase art 825 different ways. Which means everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since opening, the center has hosted events like Roosevelt Mansfield\u2019s Living Legends of Rondo exhibit\u2014testament to the vision Mercedez and her community fought for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m very intentional about making sure that this building is where the community\u2019s dreams come true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For her, the mission is personal. She lives on Central Ave., the same block her great-grandmother, Durie Mae Yarbrough, once lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHer house was where people who migrated came for food, shelter, to get their hair done\u2026 She was a caregiver. And now, to be doing this work on the same block\u2014it means everything to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mercedez is determined that artists from her community not only be seen, but respected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToo often we get invited into spaces, our work gets used, but our voices don\u2019t. They highlight us in the program, but they don\u2019t support us how we need to be supported.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking forward, her vision remains grounded in legacy, youth, and imagination. Whether it\u2019s her Rondo-based comic books or youth-centered programs, the goal is clear: make history something young people can feel and live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want kids to read the book and know they can experience it in real life,\u201d she said. \u201cYou are the author of your life. You get to write what happens next. Just like I wrote this book\u2014and now I\u2019m making it real\u2014you can too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Rondo continues to evolve, Mizz Mercedez is making sure its spirit doesn\u2019t fade with time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnce I realized love is power\u2014it changed everything,\u201d she said. \u201cJust show love. Love your community. Love your neighbor. Love your family. And it\u2019ll bring power to whatever you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cLove is power,\u201d said Mizz Mercedez\u2014and for anyone who\u2019s watched her work in the Rondo community, it\u2019s clear she lives by those words. Appearing on The Conversation with Al McFarlane on KFAI 90.3FM ahead of Rondo Days 2025, Mizz Mercedez didn\u2019t just reflect on her heritage\u2014she reaffirmed her mission: preserving Rondo\u2019s past while shaping its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3788,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[2511,2513,2512,2514],"class_list":["post-3784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-mizz-mercedes","tag-rondo-arts-center","tag-rondo-community","tag-victoria-theater-arts-center","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Mizz.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3784"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3786,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3784\/revisions\/3786"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}