Community

Cagan Hakki Sekercioglu, Turker Hidirlar, Nevin Sanli, Mustafa Kemal Abadan, Vocelli Pizza, Benchmark, Huseyin Ozyurtcu, Cano Aret Ozgener read more

July 25, 2012, Washington, D.C.—This week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on H.R. 2362, the Indian Tribal Trade and Investment Demonstration Project Act of 2011. Introduced by Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the only Native American member of Congress, the bill had the full backing of major tribal groups and strong bipartisan support. 58% (222) of the members present voted in favor of the bill. Though it did not meet the two-thirds majority required to pass the legislation under suspension vote, a process reserved for normally non-controversial bills, it did receive enough votes to obtain a simple majority on the full House – a major accomplishment for any piece of legislation. This is also the first time the Turkish American community took the initiative to create positive change through substantive legislation in Congress. read more

The High Advisory Board of the World Turkish Business Council (Dunya Turk Is Konseyi-DTIK) met in Istanbul on June 7. DTIK is an initiative by the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey - DEIK, an independent non-governmental organization, and is chaired by Mr.Rifat Hisarciklioglu, Chairman of DEIK and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey - TOBB. The meeting was led by Mr.Hisarciklioglu and Muhtar Kent, CEO of Coca Cola.  TCA Chairman Dr.Yalcin Ayasli also serves on the High Advisory Board and participated in the meeting. read more

On April 25, The Turkish Coalition of America (TCA), the Assembly of Turkish-American Associations (ATAA), and the Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA), representing the voice of over 500,000 Turkish-Americans and 300,000 Turkic Americans nationwide, sent a letter to President Obama urging the U.S. administration to support Macedonia’s NATO membership at the upcoming Chicago Summit this May. read more

January 20, 2012, Washington – The Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) and the Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) celebrated the official opening of their new Washington, D.C. office Tuesday night with a lively reception featuring minority community leaders, embassy officials, and Members of Congress. read more

Five Native American tribal representatives have returned from Turkey after taking part in “Infrastructure Development Cooperation Between Turkey and Indian Country”, Istanbul Technical University’s first-ever infrastructure development forum held October 18-26. read more

Five notable Native Americans have been selected to travel to Turkey in October to participate in a weeklong initiative spearheaded by TCA to support infrastructure development in Indian Country and promote cultural and educational exchanges between Native Americans and Turks. read more

According to conservative estimates, there are approximately 350,000 Americans of Turkish descent living across the United States. All major US cities are home to thousands of Turkish Americans. The largest concentration of Turkish Americans is in New York/New Jersey and in California. The Turkish American community has been identified as a "Key Heritage Community" by US authorities and Turkish has been designated a "critical language" by the US State Department. read more

The following two articles were penned by Willard Sakiestewa Gilbert, PhD and Carrie Billy, JD respectively. Dr. Gilbert is a member of the Hopi Tribe and he is a professor at the Northern Arizona University. Ms. Billy is a member of the Navajo Nation and the President and CEO of American Indian Higher Education Consortium. read more

July 23, 2010 – Los Angeles, CA – On Tuesday, July 20th the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) facilitated a meeting between the visiting Turkish Trade Minister, Zafer Caglayan, and representatives of the Hopi Tribe, including Ali Cayir, the first Hopi Tribe Representative to Turkey. read more

Washington, DC – On Wednesday, May 19, the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) met with Turkish State Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Caglayan to discuss TCA’s work in the United States, including TCA's outreach to Native American communities. TCA President Lincoln McCurdy briefed Minister Caglayan on the significant opportunities for Turkish businesses to invest in and do business... read more

The Turkish Coalition of America hosted a dinner on April 24 for Rep. Tom Cole (OK-4) and Leroy Sumatzkuku, a representative of the Hopi Native American Tribe. The dinner was organized as part of TCA’s program to promote economic, educational and cultural ties between the Hopi Tribe and the nation of Turkey. The Hopi Tribe will soon be announcing its first Honorary Representative to Turkey. read more

January 11, 2010 - Valerian Three Irons, a member of the Mandan nation and a faculty member of South Dakota University (SDSU), spoke on South Dakota Public Broadcasting about his recent trip to Turkey. The full interview can be heard here. The Turkish Coalition of America sponsored the three-week tour in November that visited 12 universities in 4 cities in Turkey and included members of Hopi, Pueblo and Mohawk nations. read more

October 29, 2009 - As part of The Turkish Coalition of America’s ongoing efforts to expand educational exchanges between the United States and universities in Turkey, TCA is pleased to sponsor a Native American Lecture Tour in November. The tour coincides with the White House conference with the Native American Tribal Nations on November 5. read more

In an effort to alleviate the suffering of thousands of Iraq’s war torn and displaced Chaldean refugees in Turkey, the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) and the Chaldean Federation of America held a signing ceremony in West Bloomfield, Michigan to formalize a $100,000 humanitarian assistance grant from the TCA to the CFA. read more

Friday, June 12 marked the conclusion of the Turkish Coalition of America’s 6-city tour for faculty from leading Turkish universities. In cooperation with the United Negro College Fund Special Programs (UNCFSP), American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), TCA hosted faculty from Bahcesehir, Hacettepe, Istanbul Technical University, Middle East Technical University and Ondokuz Mayis University... read more

As presidents of Turkish American community organizations nationwide, we congratulate you on assuming the Presidency of the United States of America. We wish you success in confronting the many daunting challenges facing our nation and the world today. read more

November 6, 2008, Washington, DC - The Turkish Coalition of America would like to extend its congratulations to the President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden on their resounding victory. The TCA and the Turkish American community across the nation look forward to working with the new President and his Administration in the issues facing our country, Turkey and the world. read more

On November 17, 2008 Professor Guenter Lewy filed a defamation suit against the Southern Poverty Law Center, Inc., and writer-editor David Holthouse in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia , supported by the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund - TALDF. TALDF seeks to preserve and promote open discourse about issues significant for Turkish Americans, including the characterization of the events bearing on the World War I deaths of Ottoman Muslims and Armenians. read more

October 23, 2008 - The Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) has awarded two matching grants to the Bosniak American Advisory Council of Bosnia Herzegovina (BAACH)and the United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD). Under the grant, TCA will match donations collected by the two charitable organizations for up to 150,000 USD each over the next three years. read more

Six members of Congress joined the Republic Day celebrations as the result of a coordinated effort by TCA, supported by the Assembly of Turkish American Associations , the Federation of Turkish American Associations and several local Turkish American associations. read more

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield (KY-01), co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Turkey , is hosting a Turkish-born student this summer as an intern in his Washington , DC office. read more

Congressman Steve Cohen has been looking for an answer for a long time. Up to now he hasn’t found the answer yet. His mother’s birth certificate states that his grandfather was born in Turkey. Though he contacted the Turkish consulate in Houston, he hasn’t been able to find out more information. His mother was born in 1915 and Mr. Cohen doesn’t even have any idea which city his grandfather was born in but he is still searching... Congressman Steve Cohen is the first Jewish Congressman from Tennessee. read more

Washington, DC - July 14, 2008 - The Turkish Coalition of America today announced a grant for 10,000 USD to be competitively awarded to a select number of Turkish American associations in a nationwide effort to establish a special outreach and assistance program for the Ahiska Turkish community in the United States. read more

Washington, DC – Today on Capitol Hill, the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) announced its donation of two fully equipped ambulances to the Mexican Red Cross to be used in the southeastern Mexican state of Tabasco. The announcement was made with Representatives Ortiz and Reyes, who were instrumental in facilitating this gift, along with representatives of the Mexican Red Cross, the Turkish Embassy and the Mexican Embassy. read more

March 27, 2008 - The Turkish American Legal Defense Fund was established with the goal to educate and advise Turkish Americans regarding their constitutionally guaranteed right to free expression. Turkish Americans frequently perceive a limitation of their freedom of expression when encountering one-sided depictions of controversial issues related to their ancestral history or current issues related to Turkey or Turkish Americans. read more

As the nation's first state university, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) was chartered in 1789 and it was the only public university to award degrees to students in the 18th century. On May 19th, 2008 (Turkish National Youth Day) it also became the only university in the United States with a Turk Evi for its students and the community at large. read more

"We have been wanting this forever," said Sevi Gunal, president of the American-Turkish Association of North Carolina, from a sofa in the new Turk Evi, or Turkish House, in Cary. The group hopes to tell both the Turkish and non-Turkish community about all the offerings the center will soon have -- from language classes for adults and cooking classes to live music-poetry evenings and film screenings. read more

Mr. Kent joined the company in 1978 and held a variety of senior positions. He left the company in 1999 to serve as president and CEO of the Turkish company Efes Beverage Group, which under his leadership grew into one of Europe’s largest international beverage businesses. He returned to Coca-Cola in 2005 to serve as president and chief operating officer of the company's North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East Group and later as the company’s president and chief operating officer. read more

Through the prism of Washington, with its think tanks and lobbyists, and ubiquitous congressional hearings and policy seminars, there is a tendency to believe that policy emerges from rational analysis by those who are paid to think about big issues. Of course daily, Congress addresses issues of national and international importance. Just as often however, the issues that Congressmen and women deal with, and the positions that they take, reflect the particular concerns of his or her constituents. read more

The Turkish Coalition of America remembers a great Turkish American, Ahmet Ertegun (1923-2006) , whose life and contributions to American life was recently celebrated in a PBS documentary, as part of the PBS American Masters series, titled “Atlantic Records: The House that Ahmet Built.” read more

In memory of Arif Mardin (1932-2006), world-renowned producer/arranger and vice chairman of the American Turkish Society for many years, The American Turkish Society has launched a music fellowship program that will further the education of promising musicians from Turkey and give them a chance to study in the United States. read more

Judge Ozerden is a second generation Turkish American, son of a prominent medical doctor in Gulfport, MS. After graduating from Gulfport High School in 1985, at the top of his class, Judge Ozerden attended Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service on a Navy ROTC scholarship, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1989. He then served six years active duty as a commissioned officer and naval flight officer in the U.S. Navy, where he achieved the rank of lieutenant as an A-6E Intruder bombardier/navigator. He was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal for missions flown over Iraq during Operation Southern Watch and Somalia during Operation Restore Hope. read more

In 1983, Dr. Folkert Belzer, Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin, had the great foresight to offer a faculty position to a young Turkish surgeon, Dr. Munci Kalayoglu, then a visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Kalayoglu accepted Dr. Belzer’s offer to join the UW surgery faculty as a pediatric surgeon and to establish a liver transplant program to complement the UW’s kidney and pancreas transplant programs. read more

Dr. Mehmet Oz was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Turkish American parents, and was educated at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Delaware, received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1982 and obtained a joint MD and MBA degree in 1986 from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton Business School. Oz is the Irving Associate Professor of Cardiac Surgery at Columbia University. He directs the Heart Assist Device Program and is a founder of the Complementary Medicine Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Medical Center. read more