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This will be a short overview of the six Turkish American organizations that are
actively involved with the Turkish community in and around the state of Illinois and
the Midwest: TACA, TAACE, TAWSF, TADAM, TACCI Midwest, and TASC. These six
organizations organize social, economic, and cultural activities to Turkish and
American people. In addition, these organizations also initiate social and economic
cooperation both among Turkish as well as among American people, businesses,
and civil organizations in the state of Illinois, thereby play a significant role in
publically making visible the Turkish-American community in the United States.
The oldest, most well known and active organization in the city of Chicago is TACA-
Turkish American Cultural Alliance. TACA, officially founded in 1968, has a large
number of Turkish American members, going back to three generations, and is
especially popular among Turks who live in and around the city of Chicago. TACA
also is the pioneer for most of the Turkish American organizations that were
founded later, like TAACE, TAWSF, and TADAM, and which organize joint cultural
activities with TACA. TACA was founded by a small group of Turks who had recently
arrived to the city of Chicago in the late 50’s and early 60’s. These Turks were made
up of doctoral students, doctors, and artisans who had immigrated to the US to get
better qualifications in their areas and who after deciding to stay in the US (instead
of going back) had started a civil, non-profit organization to provide a social network
and also to preserve the national identity and culture of the Turks who lived in the
area.
TACA is most popularly known for organizing the annual Chicago Turkish Festival
that takes place the fourth week of May at Daley Plaza; the seventh Festival was
organized this year. TACA by organizing this Festival, as well as other cultural
activities in Chicago, aims to “foster and promote the Turkish culture, art, history,
and heritage…, and to organize activities to bring together the Turkish-American
Communities of Illinois and Northwest Indiana,” as its mission statement addresses.
The live staged performances of the Turkish folk and classical music groups and the
traditional Turkish folklore dance group, the Ottoman Mehter Band, and the whirling
ritual of the Mevlevi dervishes at the Chicago Turkish Festival is a step taken to
correct the wrong portrayals of Turkey and Turkish people in the mass media and
American popular culture. In addition, this Festival along with other cultural
activities organized by TACA at TACA’s building in N. Harlem Avenue such as TACA’s
youth folklore group, Turkish Classical Music choir and Folk Music choir, TACA’s
Sunday Ataturk School for young Turkish students, and the FCC soccer team all aim
to socialize the young Turkish Americans and to teach them their cultural values.
TACA also celebrates Turkey’s national and religious holidays such as 23 April
Children’s celebration, 19 May Ataturk Youth and Sport Day, 29 October Republic
Day, 10 November commemoration of Ataturk’s death, New Year’s day, Ramadan
Holiday (Ramazan Bayrami), and Sacrifice Holiday (Kurban Bayrami) to initiate
solidarity among the Turkish community in and around Chicago.