Turkish-American Organizations in Illinois

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.

TAACE, Turkish American Association for Cultural Exchange, founded in Skokie in

1991 also aims to promote Turkish culture and heritage in the Chicago area by
organizing, participating, and supporting cultural events. This organization was
established by former TACA members who had a more conservative perspective
and who aimed to reach mostly Turks who lived in and around Skokie. TAACE is
known by the Turkish community in Illinois for representing Turkish culture at the
Skokie Festival of Cultures, which first was initiated in 1991. This is a two day
multicultural festival that takes place on May 16 and 17, where many ethnic
communities of Chicago display their cultures through music, dances, and arts.
TACA along with other Turkish-American organizations also promote this Festival.

TAWSF, Turkish American Women’s Scholarship Foundation, founded in 1989 by

Turkish American women, aims to provide financial support for female students in
Turkey for their university studies. There are currently 19 students in Turkey who
are still receiving TAWSF funds (according to the website). The members of the
organization fund Turkish women who are very successful in their field yet do not
have the sufficient funds to continue their higher education in Turkey. TAWSF’s
Ramadan and New Year’s dinners for members of the Turkish community in the
Midwest are means for fundraising for these female students. TAWSF by sponsoring
these female students in Turkey hopes to advance the development of the Turkish
women in the contemporary Turkish society.

TADAM, Turkish American Doctors Association of Midwest, founded in 2005, aims to

“facilitate networking among Turkish physicians in the Midwest Region and to
enhance the communication between Turkish physicians and Physician
Organizations in the US” (TADAM’s website). TADAM also awards scholarships to
students of a Turkish-American heritage or ancestry. Every year two $1000
scholarships are awarded to medical or dental students. TADAM’s fundraising
dinners, the most well known being the annual Medical Ball during March and the
jointly organized New Year’s Ball with TACA, all are attempts to collect money for
this cause. TADAM also organizes lectures series on primary health care and
supports the Health Fair that was held at TACA’s building.

TACCI Midwest, Turkish American Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the

Midwest, founded in 2006 as the Midwest region branch of TACCI, provides services
to its members that are “targeted at promoting bilateral trade, investments,
commercial relations, and joint ventures between the US and Turkey” (TACCI
Midwest’s website). TACCI Midwest has recently been active in organizing lectures
and conferences in the Midwest region that support programs for Turkish-American
businesses, the largest being the Medical Tourism Conference in Chicago. This
recent conference reached a large number of local businesses and medical
organizations and was sponsored by the Turkish Consulate General of Chicago, the
Turkish Tourism and Culture Ministry, Turkish Airlines Inc, and Turkish Medical
Tourism Development Council.

Finally, TASC, Turkish American Society of Chicago, a subsidiary for Niagara

Educational Services (NES), was initiated in 2005 “to addressing the social and
cultural needs of the Turkish American community living in the Chicago area”
(TASC’s website). However, this organization mostly connects Turks who are
members of the Fetullah Gulen’s religious movement and is more active in the
Mount Prospect area where its new facility was recently opened. Like TACA, TASC
also organizes social activities for Turkish Americans such as TASC Women’s coffee
nights, TASC Soccer Team, Sunday school for young students, Turkish lessons for
adults, and celebration of national and religious holidays.