Monthly Newsletter
March 31, 2010
Issue 4
Assembly of Turkish American Associations
1526 18th St., NW Washington, DC 20036
202.483.9090, 202.483.9092 fx
www.ataa.org, assembly@ataa.org
In This Issue
ATAA Post-HFAC Capitol Surge
Winterfest Fundraiser
ATAA 2010 Elections Process Begins
ATAA Student Outreach Program at MSU
Cleveland SayTURK Seminar
ATAA President Evinch Speaks to Capitol Hill Interns
N. Florida Turkish American Cultural Association
ATAA BOT Chairman Kursad Dogru & METU Alumni Raise Funds for ATAA
TAFSUS Turkish Student Workshop
Lara Evinch Leads Pre-Kindergarten Turkish Day
ATAA in The News
Upcoming Events
Article Headline
Census Forms Due on April 1st

The ATAA SayTurk 2010 Census Campaign continues with ATAA events and communications outreach throughout the US. Recently, ATAA President Gunay Evinch and his family were interviewed and filmed as they completed their Census form. To watch the full video click here 
President's Message
Dear Members of the ATAA and Friends of Türkiye:
 
We are entering a period of enhanced Turkish American activism.  Despite the meager and controversial manner in which H.Res. 252 passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee, ATAA submitted letters to HFAC members advising that the continued consideration of this racist and prejudicial resolution in a floor vote will severely harm Turkish - Armenian rapprochement and US interests, far beyond the damage that has already been done by the 23 HFAC members who voted "yes" on March 4, 2010.
 
ATAA submitted a letter to President Obama that he must state that H.Res. 252 is the wrong approach and that the U.S. unequivocally supports Turkish - Armenian rapprochement.  ATAA further advised President Obama to continue US policy not to characterize the Armenian case as a crime in his April 24 Proclamation, and to commence a new policy to honor the more than one million Ottoman Muslims who perished in eastern Anatolia during the Armenian Revolt and under the same conditions of war that effected Ottoman Armenians.
 
On April 15, 2010, the ATAA Capital Forum and National Speakers Bureau will host Professor Turkkaya Ataov for a presentation on Capitol Hill on "What Really Happened on April 24, 1915".  The ATAA Program will also include presentations by Professor Atatov at participating ATAA component organizations nationwide.
 
Furthermore, ATAA Vanguard is organizing counter-protests to nationalist Armenian protests.  "Vanguard" remembers the Armenian revolt at Van that resulted in the systematic massacres of over 40,000 Ottoman Muslims and Jews in March 1915.
 
Also in April, the ATAA SayTURK Census 2010 campaign will reach full force.  ATAA has conducted Complete Count meetings in 10 critical areas nationwide, as we scheduled five more meetings.   ATAA television and media ads have reached hundreds of thousands of Turks and Turkic peoples in America.  The ATAA is grateful to the Turkish Media who has supported SayTURK.  We are thankful to the Azeri, Crimean, Uzbek, Uighur, and Turkmen American communities for joining this effort. Three component organizations of the ATAA received the federal funding for the SayTURK Campaign.
 
Please make sure your local Turkish organization hosts an ATAA SayTURK Complete Count meeting in your region. Please make sure that your local Turkish organization joins and maintains good standing at ATAA -- it is your fundamental right to be represented effectively!
 
Sevgi ve saygılarımla,
 
Günay Evinch
President
Assembly of Turkish American Associations
ATAA Post-HFAC Capitol Surge
 
Following the controversial passage of H.Res. 252 in the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) on March 4, 2010, the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) immediately commenced communications with Congress and the White House. ATAA submitted "thank you" letters to the 22 HFAC members who voted "No". ATAA also submitted letters of disappointment to the 23 HFAC members who voted "Yes", including one separately to HFAC Chairman Howard Berman. ATAA also submitted a letter to President Barack Obama ahead of April 24 urging him to do all he can to block the H.Res. 252 from coming to the floor of the full House. [read]
Another Succesful ATAA Fundraiser
 
ATAA held the first fundraiser of 2010 on Sunday, February 28th at the home of former Swedish Ambassador to Washington, Henrik Liljegren and his wife Nil Liljegren. The retired envoy and his wife are in Washington in another capacity and their beautiful home in fashionable Foxhall is again open to  Turkish organizations, primarily ATAA.  More than 80 people attended the event, raising close to $13,000. The highlight of the party was the attendance of the new Turkish Ambassador to Washington, Namık Tan and Mrs. Figen Tan. [read]
 
 
28 Şubat Pazar günü Washington'daki Türk toplumu ATAA için bir destek kampanyası düzenledi. Amerika'nın en büyük ve faal çatı derneği olan ATAA mali kuvvetini Amerika'nın her tarafına yayılmıŞ üye derneklerden ve bireysel üyelerinden alıyor.  İsveç'in eski Washington Büyük Elçisi sayın Henrik Liljegren ve eŞi Nil Liljegren Washington'daki güzel evlerini bu destek kampanyasına açtılar. 80'den fazla Türk ve Türk dostunun katıldığı bu gece ayrıca Washington'a yeni atanan Büyükelçi Namık Tan ve eşi Figen Tan'ın da Türk toplumuyla ilk buluŞmalarına mahal oldu. Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyetinin Elçisi sayın Hilmi Akın ve eşi, eski Büyükelçi sayın Faruk Loğoğlu, eski Amerikan Elçisi sayın Robert Pearson ve eşinin de katıldığı gecede dostluklar yenilendi.
 
ATAA 2010 Elections Process Begins

Pursuant to the ATAA Bylaws and Policies & Procedures, the Board of Directors formed a Nominations Committee on March 16, 2010. Members of the Nominations Committee are Ergün Kırlıkovalı, Lale Iskarpatyoti,  Tunca Iskır, Dr. Ülkü Ülgür, and Nurten Ural. The Committee has already begun its work to solicit candidates for the 2010 elections.
ATAA Student Outreach Program at MSU
 
March 20, 2010  - The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) held a student outreach event at Michigan State University. As part of its student outreach plan, ATAA provided an opportunity to exchange ideas and lay the foundations of networking at MSU. Under the leadership of Nurten Ural, Honorary Consul General and ATAA past president, and ATAA Civic Engagement Director Yenal Küçüker, the event provided an invaluable opportunity for students to discuss issues regarding visa & immigration, politics, business culture, and the Turkish American community and organizations in an informal Q&A setting. [read]
 
Michigan Eyalet Üniversitesinde ATAA Türk Öğrenci Yönlendirme Programı
 
Türk Amerikan Dernekleri Birliği (ATAA) Michigan Eyalet Üniversitesinde ''Türk Öğrenci Yönlendirme Programı'' düzenledi. ATAA'nın ABD'de okuyan Türk öğrencilerle bütünleŞme amacı içerisinde gerçekleşen panel, öğrencilere kendilerini ilgilendiren konular hakkında fikir alıŞ-veriŞinde bulunma ve katılımcılarla iletiŞim kurma fırsatını verdi. Fahri Konsolos ve ATAA'nın önceki dönem başkanı Nurten Ural ve ATAA sivil katılım kordinatörü Yenal Küçüker'in liderliğinde, öğrenciler ABD'de karşılaştıkları hukuki, akademik, sosyal, kültürel sorunlar ve işbulmaya ilişkin konular hakkında bilgi edindiler.
Columbus SayTURK Seminar on the 2010 Census
 
On March 14, 2010, Turkish American Association of Columbus Ohio (TAACO) hosted ATAA Vice President Alp Berker for a seminar on the 2010 Census at the Upper Arlington library. President Binnaz Leblebicioğlu and several other Board Members attended the event with about 40 members from the local community.
 
An enthusiastic group of Turkish-Americans took part in the Census Seminar with several questions of relevance to the local community being discussed.  For more information, please visit TAACO web site at www.taaco.org
TABAN Workshop/Seminar held in Rochester, NY
 
On March 7, 2010, ATAA held its third Turkish American Broad Advocacy Network (TABAN) workshop/seminar of 2010 in Rochester, New York at the Turkish Society of Rochester Community Center. Rochester has the highest concentration of Turkish Americans in Upstate New York and ATAA Civic Engagement Director Yenal Küçüker, who is also a long term Rochester resident, introduced TABAN's vision and mission to activate Turkish Americans in the grassroots efforts. Besides introducing TABAN's vision and mission, grassroots workshop/seminar also informed the participants regarding ATAA's upcoming SayTurk Census 2010 Campaign. [read]
 
 
ATAA / Rochester Türk Cemiyeti TABAN ÇalıŞması Semineri
 
Türk Amerikan Dernekleri Kurulu (ATAA), yılın üçüncü TABAN (Turkish American Broad Advocacy Network) çalıŞması seminerini  Rochester Türk Cemiyetinde düzenledi. Türk Amerikan Koalisyonunun sponsorluğunda TABAN adı altında baŞlatılan sivil toplum örgütü eğitim ve sözcülük kampanyası çerçevesinde gerçekleŞtirilen seminere Rochester'daki Türk Amerika'lıların haricinde, New York Eyalet Senatosu Senatörleri Joseph E. Robach (R,C, IP) 56th ve James S. Ailesi'de (R, IP) 55th katıldı. Kuzey New York bölgesinde Türk Amerikalıların en yoğun olduğu bir bölge olan Rochester, aynı zamanda ATAA sivil katılım direktörü Yenal Küçüker'in de uzun yıllar yaşadığı bir bölge. TABAN çalıŞması doğrultusunda katılımcılar programın misyonu ve vizyonu ile ilgili bilgi alıp, SayTürk 2010 nüfus sayımı hakkında bilgilendirildiler.
TAAM SayTURK 2010 Census/ TABAN Seminar
 
On March 20, 2010 the Turkish American Association of Minnesota (TAAM) hosted ATAA Vice-President Alp Berker for a two part seminar about ATAA's SayTURK Census 2010 Campaign and an overview on ATAA's national strategy for grassroots activism (TABAN).  Over 40 Turkish Americans from TAAM as well as student organizations attended the event.  Turkish-American issues relevant to the Twin Cities area were discussed during the 3-hour event.
Cleveland SayTURK Seminar on Census 2010
 
On March 13, 2010 Turkish American Society of Cleveland (TASNO), hosted ATAA Vice-President Alp Berker for a seminar on the 2010 Census at the Cuyahoga Orange Branch library. On a beautiful March day, several members of the community including President Derya Ferendeci and Board member Suat Arıcanlı took part in the Census Event that lasted approximately 2 hours. ATAA Vice-President Alp Berker discussed the "SayTURK" Campaign and the importance of an accurate census count of Turkish-Americans in the region and answered questions from the community members. For more information, please visit TASNO web site at  www.tasno.org.
 
ATAA President Evinch Speaks to Capitol Hill Interns
 
Following the controversial passage of H.Res. 252 in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Capitol Hill Internship Program invited ATAA President Gunay Evinch to speak regarding ethnic interest groups in Congress and their impact on U.S. foreign policy. Evinch spoke to interns from the White House, Homeland Security, Senate, House, Human Rights Watch and the Sierra Club. Evinch expressed that the Turkish American community was primarily interested in the American Dream -- "make money, buy a house, and give your children a college education." [read]
ATAA Component Association Spotlight
 
N. Florida Turkish American Cultural Association (NFTACA)
 
Cigdem Crawford, President of NFTACA writes: Our association was established on February 14, 2001. Our mission is to bring Turkish people who live in and around Jacksonville together, to present and represent our country and customs in the best way possible, and support each other in every way needed. Our association currently has close to 100 members and our yearly activities include: Easter Picnic, World of Nations Festival, 4th of July Picnic, October 29th Republic Day Celebration, Thanksgiving celebration, and Ramazan and Kurban holidays.
 
The Executive Board of NFTACA includes: President Cigdem Crawford, Vice President  Halil Gerger, Secretary Dr. Muge Cummings, Treasurer Tamer Kekec. Board members include: Alpay Kekec, Latif Bilgin, Onur Saral,Engin Arslan, Lale Gerger,Kutay Oktem, Begum Oktem, and Kenny Adcock.
 
Contact Information: NFTACA, 2630 Hidden Village Dr., Jacksonville, FL 32216, nftaca@yahoo.com
Florida Turks Continue the Tradition of Celebrating March 14th, Medical Holiday (TIP BAYRAMI)

The creation of the first surgical education hospital in the Sehzadebasi district of Istanbul on March 14, 1872, during the reign of Murat II, is considered to be the start of modern medical education in Turkey. Since that time, March 14th has been known as the Medical Holiday (TIP BAYRAMI). The holiday was first celebrated in 1919 in Istanbul. Since that time doctors in Turkey and the Turkish-American medical community in the US has celebrated this holiday with balls and special events.
For more information on Turks in Florida, please visit , Florida Turkish American Association's web site at www.ftaa.com. 
ATAA BOT Chairman KürŞad Doğru & METU Alumni Raise Funds for ATAA

An enthusiastic group of Middle Eastern Technical University (METU) Alumni gathered in Texas on March 27, 2010. The group raised funds for the ATAA and had an opportunity to learn more about ATAA's SayTURK Census 2010 Campaign. We thank the Alumni group and ATAA BOT Chairman KürŞad Doğru for their support of the ATAA's mission and programs.
TAFSUS Turkish Student Workshop

Turkish Student Workshop was held at Drexel University on March 6, 2010 with opening remarks from ATAA Vice President İbrahim Onaral (President, TAFSUS), Consul Basar Sen and Education Attache İbrahim Demirer from NY Consulate, Prof. Aysenil Belger, (President, TASSA), Cigdem Acar (Acar Law Firm), Devrim Eren (Senior Scientist, Syandus, Inc.) and representatives from Drexel, UPenn and Temple Turkish Student Associations. For more information, please visit Turkish American Friendship Society of US (TAFSUS)'s web site at www.tafsus.net 
Lara Evinch Leads Pre-Kindergarten Turkish Day

As the April 23rd Children's Holiday fast approaches, Turkish-American children are taking advantage of special school events to educate their classmates on Turkey. Recently, Georgetown Hill Early Education Center (GHES) in Maryland held Turkish Day as a part of its diversity program and coverage of Europe.  The mistress of ceremonies was Lara Evinch, five-year old daughter of ATAA President Gunay Evinch.  Lara provided her classmates Turkish flags and color books about Turkey, and introduced Turkish handcrafts.  Afterwards, the school showcase featured photos and arts of Turkey.  To help your child promote Turkey in his/her classroom, you may reach out the Turkish Embassy Tourism Office for materials. We hope all Turkish-American children in the US will follow Lara Evinch's example and help educate their classmates and friends about Turkey and Turkish culture.
ATAA in the News
 
C O M I N G  S O O N
Opportunities to Advertise in the ATAA E-Newsletter
The ATAA e-Newsletter reaches approximately 13,000 individuals throughout the United States, Canada and Turkey. Starting with our April newsletter, the ATAA will begin accepting banner ads from businesses that wish to reach the Turkish-American community.  More information will be provided in a separate Community Information Service announcement.
Upcoming Events
 

Prof. Türkkaya Ataöv Lecture Series
ATAA Capital Forum and National Speakers Bureau Program
 
  • Little Rock, Arkansas
    April 2, 2010, 3:00pm-5:00pm
    University of Arkansas
    Organized by the University of Arkansas Turkish Student Association and Friends of Turkey in Arkansas.  
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota
    April 4, 2010
    University of Minnesota
    Organized by Turkish American Association of Minnesota and Turkish American Student Association at University of Minnesota. 
  • Kent, Ohio
    April 7, 2010, 4:00pm-5:00pm
    Kent State University
    Organized by ATAA Turkish American Broad Advocacy Network (TABAN) Ohio Chair, Kent State University Student Association.   
  • Ann Arbor, Michigan
    April 8, 2010
    University of Michigan
    Organized by ATAA Turkish American Broad Advocacy Network (TABAN) National Chair,University of Michigan Turkish Student Association,Turkish American Cultural Association, Michigan (TACAM).   
  • Chicago, Illinois
    April 10, 2010, 2:00pm-5:00pm
    Northwestern University
    Organized by Turkish American Cultural Alliance-Chicago (TACA-Chicago), ATAA Turkish American Broad Advocacy Network (TABAN) Illinois Chair. ATAA President-Elect Ergun Kırlıkovalı will speak on Advocacy: The art of influencing public policy through proactive public education.   
  • Washington, DC
    April 15, 2010, 12:00pm-2:00pm
    Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2255
    Washington, DC
    Supported by Drs. Ali and Fevziye Manizade.
  • Toronto, Canada
    April 17-18, 2010, 6:00pm-9:00pm
    Toronto University 
    Organized by Federation of Turkish Canadian Associations.

 

Sezen Aksu USA Tour 2010
Featuring Fahir Atakoglu
April 4-7, 2010
For more information: www.sezenaksu.us

ATA-DC Spring Fundraiser
April 10, 2010
Hosted by Mr. & Mrs. Ilhan Ozulu
Centreville, VA
For more information: www.atadc.org

ATA-DC Annual Teacher's Workshop
April 17, 2010
Turkish Embassy, Washington DC
For more information: www.atadc.org

ATA-SC Children's Day Celebration
April 18, 2010
Long Beach, CA
For more information visit: www.atasc.org

TAFSUS/ATA School - 23 April Children's Day Ball
April 18, 2010, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Montgomery County Community College, PA
RSVP by April 9, 2010:iskarpatyoti@aol.com

 

By becoming a member you will be part of a network of Turkish-Americans and friends of Turkey who care about the historic relationship between the two peoples and who are aware of the crucial role each one of us plays in strengthening the relationship and promoting an accurate and fair picture of Turkey and Turks. Please visit www.ataa.org for more information.