The building was the location for numerous gatherings that advanced multiple political and social causes, including the fight for African American civil rights and for homosexual rights. When all people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed and incarcerated under Executive Order 9066 during WWII, the building was turned over to the SF YWCA, which in turn leased it to the American Friends Service Committee from 1942 to 1959. Because California’s Alien Land Law prevented Issei from owning property, the Japanese women asked the San Francisco YWCA to hold title to the property in trust for the Nikkei community. This building, designed by noted architect Julia Morgan and completed in 1932, was funded by money raised within the Japantown community, as well as donations from the national and San Francisco YWCAs. to address social and service needs of women and children. Barred by segregationist policies from use of key facilities in the main YWCA chapter, in 1912 Issei (immigrant generation) women formed the first independent Japanese YWCA in the U.S. The Japanese YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association), also known as the Issei Women's Building, is a rare public emblem of the struggles and accomplishments of Nikkei women in the United States. is being recognized for its association to the history of Japanese American Issei (first generation) women, the African American Civil Rights movement, and the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights movement. The two-story building at 1830 Sutter St. The Japanese YWCA, in San Francisco, California was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.
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