Catholic Interracial Council of the Twin Cities Records

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 programming. Along with local events, the group partnered with the Friendship House movement, based in 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.