Guide to the Catholic Interracial Council of the Twin Cities Records

Creator: Catholic Interracial Council of the Twin Cities.
Title: Catholic Interracial Council of the Twin Cities Records
Dates: 1958-1966
Quantity: 0.42 Linear feet (1 box)

Language: English
Repository: Archives and Special Collections, St. Catherine University Library

The Catholic Interracial Council of the Twin Cities (CICTC) was an organization started in the spring of 1958 by several young people in the St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota community. Troubled by segregation and the struggles of minority groups in the United States, the group was formed in order to promote interracial justice and understanding.

Patricia Parlin Caponi, a 1952 graduate of the College of St. Catherine, was a founding member of the organization, serving as Secretary from 1958-1959. As of 1959, the organization had over 100 members, including photographer Gordon Parks and a large constituency of nuns, priests, and other clergy.

Notable CICTC events included speakers on race relations, a yearly Human Rights Workshop, and a variety of community outreach progamming. Along with local events, the group partnered with the Friendship House movement, based out of Chicago, Illinois. The Friendship House had created a Home Visit Program in which Caucasian participants would visit Black homes, encouraging positive dialogue and understanding between the races.

Following its mission of “striving to apply Catholic principles on racial matters and racial problems faced by the local communities,” the Catholic Interracial Council of the Twin Cities attempted to make a positive impact during the turbulent times of the late 1950s to mid-1960s.

This collection includes materials of the Catholic Interracial Council of the Twin Cities from 1958-1966. The majority of the materials were created by the CICTC; items of note include organizational newsletters, board meeting minutes, programming and publicity materials, and the correspondence of James A. Leadon (CICTC president from 1958-1960). There are also materials documenting national efforts on race relations during this time period, one item of note is information on the Chicago-based Friendship House movement.

Selected materials from the collection were digitized and included in an online exhibit prepared by Benjamin Ahrendt, Julie Fedeler, and Soph Myers-Kelley, who were enrolled in the Digital Libraries course at St. Kate's in Spring 2020.

Publication Information

Archives and Special Collections
2004 Randolph Ave
St. Paul, MN, 55105
651.690.6553
archives@stkate.edu

Corporate Name(s)

• Friendship House. (Chicago, Ill.)

Personal Name(s)

• Caponi, Patricia Parlin
• Leadon, James A., 1926-2012

Subject(s)

• Civil rights -- Minnesota
• Civil rights -- Religious aspects -- Catholic Church

Description of Contents