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Dear Guests,
On behalf of the organizers and ATAA, I would like to
say welcome!
We Turkish-Americans are not newcomers to the United
States. The first immigrants from Turkey -then the
Ottoman Empire- arrived the new world back in 1860s.
Even then, a sultan, Sultan Abdulhamit foresaw the
future importance America would play in the world. He
sponsored "A Turkish Village” in a festival in Chicago.
He must have guessed that when America would have
spoken.... everybody would have listened.
Turkey's first immigrants here were mainly working class
people from Eastern Turkey, and they settled in major
cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Detroit.
Later on, the characteristics of the Turkish immigrants
changed. A new influx in the early part of the century,
and later on as late as mid-80s, our national coming to
the States became much more sophisticated. Countless
doctors, engineers, and scientists started to become a
part of the mixed salad. Then, within the last 20 years,
the Turkish immigrants completed the Turkish rainbow
here. Many artists, businessmen, and countless students
are now parts of the American fabric.
Not a few, not many, but ALL Turks coming to this new
land of opportunity found ourselves, however, being
broadside with accusations to which our educational
system, our culture, and everyday life had not prepared
us. Reason being, without an ounce of suspicion in my
mind, being raised in Turkey with Ataturk’s ideals and
well-known saying "Peace at home, peace in the World,"
being engraved in our little minds as children, and even
later as young adults, never in Turkey were we taught
hate or discrimination against anyone or any peoples.
This particular shocking American experience was the
same for even the Turkish-Jews who were immigrating
here. These are the same Jews who had found refuge in
Turkey, lived in peace within the Ottoman Empire for 500
years ever since they were invited to Turkey by Sultan
Bayezid when they were being persecuted and being kicked
out of Christian Europe because they were Jewish! They
too were the product of the same public culture in
Turkey and they too were awed when they arrived in the
United States facing the hysteria by certain circles
against "the awful Turk." We were all coming to grasps
with the allegation of "the Armenian Genocide," and
other propaganda by other ethnic groups here.
Coupled with the fact that we were not quite yet
introduced to the American political system, and were
not yet taking any active part in it, for a prolonged
period, our activities to fend off the accusations on
us, to say the least, were stuttering.
Things are somewhat different now. Specifically, since
Turkey has been a stout ally of the United States for
the last 50 years, now we are not only counting on our
own efforts of promoting the true face of Turks, Turkey
and her history, but also through expert Americans, we
are able to find attentive ears in the Congress and in
other entities in the U.S., who -thank God- no longer
take any anti-Turkish propaganda at face value as
presented to them by hateful mouths. As America's
interests in Asia Minor and the Middle East continue to
present concerns -may it have been during the cold war,
or during this hot climate in which cultures, dictators,
and religions are at a particular crossroad- the
American ear has become more logical, more balanced, and
more fair.
That is where, we - ATAA and people like Meltem - come
into the picture. ATAA (The Assembly of Turkish American
Associations), founded in 1979, is proud of now being
the umbrella organization of 54 local Turkish-American
associations across this wonderful land which we as
Turkish-Americans call our adopted new home. We do our
best to present you with the other side of the medallion
in order for you to be the best judge of the events
which took place nearly 90 years ago. In order to earn
your fair judgment we do not use scare tactics, we do
not play to your sentimentality, nor do we use
terrorism, to which the Armenians have resorted just
until 30 years ago across this land, in cold blood
murdering of countless Turkish diplomats and plain
Turkish-American citizens.
All we ask and say are the following: Please remember
the very best of what our culture has taught us here: No
taxation without representation, innocent until found
guilty, and the fair system of checks and balances. We
believe that the truth will set us all free. A free
society in which no hate is taught to children, and a
world in which all children are only the objects anf the
subjects of love and peaceful coexistence.
I invite you to Turkey; and I invite you to meet us. We
are hospitable and warm people who will treasure your
friendship, and return it in kind in many folds.
Once again, welcome, enjoy the presentation, and please
keep in touch with us through www.ataa.org.
Sincerely yours,
Ercument Kilic
President, ATAA
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