Twin Cities Chapter History

1946: Twin Cities Chapter was formed and instituted formal organizational procedures. Their name was debated in December, 1946 and eventually choosing United Citizens League (UCL) in 1947.

April 16, 1948: The first Executive Committee meeting was held.

April 30, 1948: The first business meeting was called to order by President Jon Matsuo at the Fifth Floor Meeting Room of the Downtown Minneapolis Y.W.C.A. building. Chairman of the Anti-Discriminating Committee Chair was Art Matsuura, Social Committee Chair was Mary Takao and Sus Hirota, Finance Chair was Yutaka Semba, and Legal Committee Chair was Charles Tatsuda.

1959: UCL’s membership dues were $3.50 per year ($27.60 in 2013 dollars).

August 16, 1959: First recorded UCL golf tournament took place at Gross National Golf Course in Minneapolis, MN.

September 3, 1961: Fourth Biennial MDC/EDC was hosted by the UCL at the Radisson Hotel in Minneapolis, MN.

March 27, 1962: The UCL changed its name to Twin Cities Japanese American Citizens League (TCJACL).

November 24, 1962: One of the first TC JACL General Meetings was held.

1967: TC Chapter receives an “Outstanding Membership Enrollment” award and presented to Chapter President Dr. Ray Yamahiro and Membership Chair Paul G. Suchiya for an all time high of 261 members. Also, was awarded for the TC Chapters third consecutive year of membership increase, 26% in chapter size.

November 19, 1980: Twin Cities JACL was incorporated in accordance with provisions of the MN Nonprofit Corporation Act MN Statues, Chapter 317.

1980s: One of the TC Chapter’s very successful fundraisers was the making and selling of mochi, with over 1000 lbs. sold.

1990s & 2000s: Continued to be involved in the preservation and education of Japanese American human and civil rights throughout the Twin Cities area.

2009: Sponsored the creation of an oral history project, intended to preserve Japanese Americans’ experiences throughout the 20th century.