The Polish American Congress (Kongres Polonii Amerykanskiej) was formed at a meeting of approximately 5,000 representatives of major Polish American organizations in the United States, together with Polish clergymen, and others of Polish ancestry, in Buffalo, New York, May 28-30, 1944. The new group was established to act as an umbrella organization and advocate for all Polish Americans. Specifically, the PAC was formed to aid the United States war effort, to work for peace under the provisions of the Atlantic Charter, to unite Americans of Polish descent to work on behalf of Poland and for the benefit of Polish Americans, and to oppose communism and the concessions granted to the Soviet Union during and after World War II. In more recent years, the PAC has continued to disseminate information about Poland and the Poles, has encouraged U.S. aid to Poland, and has promoted Polish cultural and ethnic heritage among Americans. Through its state divisions and its committees formed in response to individual issues, the PAC participated in the 350th anniversary of the arrival of the first Poles in the New World (1958), the 1966 Polish Millennium, 1972 Kopernik Quincentennial, and 1976 American Revolution Bicentennial celebrations. Other work of the state divisions has included scholarship programs, commemoration of anniversaries, and education programs, the latter developed in part as a response to the rise of anti-Polish jokes.
The Wisconsin State Division of the PAC was also organized in 1944, with headquarters in Milwaukee. For more information on the Wisconsin Division see: http://pacwisconsin.com/
