Last updated: July 14, 2022
Place
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Photo by Jim Winstead, Jr., Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
Quick Facts
Location:
1200 S Marquette Ave, Minneapolis, MN
Significance:
One of the oldest and largest Presbyterian congregations in Minnesota and the United States with a strong tradition of social and religious programs for Chinese Americans in Minneapolis
Designation:
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 1998
MANAGED BY:
Westminster Presbyterian Church is home to one of the oldest and largest Presbyterian congregations in Minnesota and the United States. From the 1880s into the 1950s, Westminster served as an important gathering place and resource for Minneapolis’ Chinese American community. The Church’s social and religious programs helped recent immigrants to learn English and connect with both white and Chinese neighbors.
Background
Westminster Presbyterian Church is located at Nicollet Avenue and Twelfth Street in Minneapolis. It was built in 1897 after a fire destroyed the congregation’s previous location. Since its founding in 1857, Westminster has committed to community outreach and social service. The congregation participated in mission work to aid women and recent immigrants from Europe and China. In 1882, the congregation founded the only mission and Sunday school for Chinese men in Minneapolis.
Minnesota’s first permanent Chinese settlers arrived between 1870 and 1880, the outset of the Chinese Exclusion era. The Chinese Exclusion Acts restricted Chinese immigration based on gender, occupation, and income. These policies shut out most laborers and women, but some students, tourists, diplomats, and merchants were permitted to enter. Minnesota’s Chinese population slowly grew due to internal migration. Some Chinese came to the Midwest to escape discrimination and violence in the western states.
By 1900, some of Minneapolis’ earliest Chinese settlers established themselves as merchants. Under Chinese Exclusion, merchants could only bring their wives and children to the US if they achieved a certain volume of trade each year. By the late 1920s, the Chinese population in Minnesota was estimated between 900 and 1,000, including over 100 women.
Community Connections
To support the growing community, Westminster Presbyterian Church opened its Sunday school to women and children. Programs included English language classes and an afternoon church service in Chinese. Chinese American congregants published a Chinese-language newspaper, sharing news from China and the Twin Cities. They also advertised local businesses run by Chinese Americans.
This early generation of immigrants, including Liang May Seen and her husband Woo Yee Sing, formed the backbone of Minneapolis’ Chinese American community. Over the years, they befriended white neighbors, churchgoers, and customers at their businesses and remained active in the church. As more Chinese women arrived in the US, Liang May Seen helped them to forge cross-cultural connections. She invited new arrivals to attend integrated gatherings at Westminster. These activities helped recent immigrants to socialize with white members of the congregation and learn about American culture.
Although Chinese Americans faced less resistance in Minnesota than in the west, they still experienced discrimination. Liang May Seen’s son Howard endured racist name-calling when he was in school. The family was also victim of a violent attack. Around 1912, a small bomb exploded in the stairway of the family restaurant. The culprit was never identified but Howard believed the attack was racially motivated. Many white social organizations, such as the Rotary Club, also excluded Chinese Americans into the 1930s and 1940s.
World War II and the War Brides Act
The outbreak of World War II drastically changed life for Chinese Americans. The war was the first time that many Chinese felt welcome in the US. Anti-Japanese propaganda reframed them as “good Asians” to contrast the new Japanese “enemy.” This motivated some Chinese Americans to wear identification cards or buttons to further distinguish themselves. Others emphasized their contributions to the war effort. Wartime labor shortages reduced racial barriers to jobs in the defense industries. Many Chinese Americans welcomed the new opportunities.
World War II also led to significant changes in immigration law. In 1943, Congress passed the Magnuson Act, repealing the Chinese Exclusion Acts. In their place, lawmakers implemented the national quota from the Immigration Act of 1924, limiting entry to 105 Chinese immigrants per year. The Magnuson Act also allowed Chinese Americans to apply for US citizenship.
In 1945, the War Brides Act facilitated the reunification of couples and families. The Act and its amendments granted entry to the foreign-born wives and fiancées of American soldiers within a set period. Additionally, Chinese wives would not count toward the annual quota. The US received an influx of 8,000 Chinese war brides over the next four years. Some couples were newly married, but others were reunited after years of separation. Finally in 1947, Congress eliminated racial restrictions on immigration for foreign-born wives of US citizens.
Minneapolis’ Chinese American community transformed from mostly bachelors to families. The war brides’ arrival also revived the need for Westminster Presbyterian Church’s Sunday school. By 1940, most of the Chinese American community spoke English and the church considered closing the school. Due to the new arrivals and the postwar baby boom, enrollment doubled between 1943 and 1950. Westminster began to offer English language classes on weekdays. To expand classroom space, it added a two-story wing in 1952. This facility helped the Westminster congregation continue its tradition of welcoming Chinese Americans to Minneapolis.
The content for this article was researched and written by Jade Ryerson, an intern with the Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education.
Bibliography
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