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Turkish Coalition of America

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Turkish Coalition of America
TypeNon-profit
Location
Membership156[1]
President
Lincoln McCurdy
Websitehttp://www.tc-america.org

The Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) is the main Turkish lobby organization in the United States.[1] Its stated purpose includes education and congressional advocacy. It is based in Washington, D.C., with an office in Boston, Massachusetts.[2] A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, it engages in educational, cultural, social and political activities and it's closely aligned to the Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans.[1]

The organization has received criticism for making inaccurate claims about the Armenian genocide.[3][4] Historian Richard Hovannisian states that TCA "has become a driving force behind contemporary efforts to deny the truth of the Armenian Genocide".[5]

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The Turkish Coalition of America established the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund (TALDF) in 2009.[6] TALDF's mission is to encourage Turkish Americans to participate in American civil society and political processes without fear, intimidation, bigotry, prejudice, or discrimination.[citation needed] TALDF tracks and responds to state legislation that stigmatizes Turkish Americans or falsely portrays Turkey or Turkish-U.S. relations.[citation needed] Additionally, TALDF attorneys participate in conferences and speak to student groups nationally and in Canada.[citation needed] In 2011 TALDF concluded its successful representation of Ohio U.S. Representative Jean Schmidt.[citation needed]

Relations with Congress

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In addition to its active role in fostering relations across ethnic communities in the U.S. and efforts to cultivate the next generation of Turkish American leaders, TCA also pursues a dynamic outreach program on Capitol Hill to build relationships with members of the U.S. Congress. Encouraging a greater understanding of foreign relations with Turkey and promoting Turkish American views are paramount to the TCA mission in Congress. Throughout the year outreach is conducted with the Congressional Turkish Caucus and the U.S. Congressional Study Group on Turkey to inform and educate policy-makers on issues that concern Turkish Americans and U.S.-Turkey relations. [7]

Scholarships & Internships

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TCA Study Abroad in Turkey Scholarships for Minorities: Its commitment to building bridges to minority groups distinguishes TCA from other direct-service Turkish American organizations in the United States. The growing popularity of TCA's Study Abroad in Turkey Scholarships has enabled the organization to reach out to African American, Hispanic American and Native American groups.[8] Moreover, as a direct result of TCA's efforts to expand educational exchanges between the two nations, Turkish universities have also launched scholarship opportunities for these minority groups.[9] In support of the recent normalization process between Turkey and Armenia, TCA has also launched a scholarship program for Armenian Americans, enabling the organization to reach out to the Armenian American community in a constructive manner.[10]

Outreach to Turkish Communities: Another facet of TCA's outreach efforts entails highlighting the historical and contemporary bonds of friendship and cultural ties of the Turkish people. Consequently, TCA supports like-minded community organizations in their efforts to enhance their voice and to contribute to the strengthening of relations between the United States, Turkey and its neighbors. Projects under this program include grants to various ethnic community groups to support organizational development, scholarships for students in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and congressional internship programs.[11][12]

TCA Grant Programs: TCA is a charitable organization and actively seeks recipients for its various grant allocations. “In line with the TCA core philosophy to collaborate with like-minded organizations to advance its mission to strengthen US-Turkey relations and help build a more peaceful world through people-to-people exchanges and citizen diplomacy, TCA has awarded several major grants to organizations since its founding in 2007”[13]

Grants from TCA include a variety of recipients and categories. Academic Grants focus on scholars and researchers whose work is valuable to the advancement of Turkey, its people, and their history. Public Awareness/Grassroots Grants support Turkish American organizations in their goals to promote and strengthen the Turkish community’s civic engagement in Washington. Heritage Grants help highlight contemporary and historical trends of friendship of the Turkish people with its kin and neighbors. For example, TCA has established exceptional partnerships with the Bosniak and Macedonian communities in the United States including the United Macedonian Diaspora. Humanitarian Grants have been awarded to organizations involved in humanitarian relief and alleviation of suffering where most needed.

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In November 2010 the Turkish Coalition of America sued the University of Minnesota and the director of its Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies for defamation and violation of the group's First Amendment rights after the university had issued a list of "unreliable websites" and warned students not to reference them in their studies. The website of the Turkish Coalition of America was at the head of that list for asserting that the Armenian genocide in 1915 should be understood as part of inter-communal warfare between Ottoman Armenians and Ottoman Muslims. In 2011 a federal judge dismissed the suit, finding that the case centered on academic freedom and stating "The ability of the University ... to determine the reliability of sources available to students to use in their research falls squarely within the University's freedom to determine how particular course work shall be taught." Bruce Fein, attorney for the Turkish Coalition, called the academic freedom argument "a bogus claim" and "a cover" to suppress ideas the university doesn't like.[3] The Turkish Coalition of America appealed the case in February 2012. In May 2012 the Eighth U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the University of Minnesota, dismissing the Turkish Coalition of America's claims. Counsel for the University of Minnesota, Mark Rotenberg, said the decision "confirms the right of universities and their faculty to offer scholarly criticism and critique on websites without fear of legal exposure."[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Thurber, James A.; Campbell, Colton C.; Dulio, David A. (2018). Congress and Diaspora Politics: The Influence of Ethnic and Foreign Lobbying. State University of New York Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-4384-7089-4.
  2. ^ "About Us". Turkish Coalition of America. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  3. ^ a b Ross, Jenna. "U scores academic victory in court case". StarTribune. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b Appeals court rules for U of M in case over 'unreliable websites' http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/150171485.html
  5. ^ Hovannisian, Richard G. (2015). "Denial of the Armenian Genocide 100 Years Later: The New Practitioners and Their Trade". Genocide Studies International. 9 (2): 228–247. doi:10.3138/gsi.9.2.04. S2CID 155132689.
  6. ^ "Turkish American Legal Defense Fund". TALDF. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  7. ^ Turkish Coalition of America Welcomes 100th Member of the Turkish Caucus [1]
  8. ^ Minority Scholarships
  9. ^ "American Indian Science and Engineering Society Mission". AISES. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  10. ^ Armenian American Scholarships
  11. ^ Other Scholarships
  12. ^ TCA provides a grant to Chaldean Federation of America
  13. ^ "TCA Grants". Turkish Coalition of America. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
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