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Meskhetian Turks bring Turkish American community together at Lancaster festival
The National Assembly of Ahiska Turks hosted a Turkish-American Culture Festival at Long’s Park in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, drawing families, association leaders and civil society representatives.
Meskhetian (Ahiska) Turks hosted a Turkish-American Culture Festival in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, bringing members of the Turkish American community together under the banner of unity and solidarity.
Organized by the National Assembly of Ahiska Turks, the festival took place on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Long’s Park. Families, association presidents and representatives of civil society groups from across the community attended the open-to-all event.
“Our associations are our bridges”
Cevdet Özdemir, president of the Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA), attended with several board members and addressed the crowd, stressing the importance of unity among Turks living in the U.S.
“We may have come to America from different cities, regions and stories. But we are held together by strong shared values: our language, our culture, our history, our traditions and our commitment to one another,” Özdemir said.
Özdemir described the history of the Ahiska Turks as “an important example of the struggle to preserve identity, culture and traditions despite hardship,” and said it was a source of pride to see that culture kept alive.
Focus on the next generation
He urged associations to go beyond cultural events and support young people in education, business and public life. “Their success will be our shared success,” he said, adding that the federation’s doors are open to all associations and sister communities.
“Our associations are the bridges that bring us together, our culture is our roots, and our young people are our future,” Özdemir said in closing. The federation later thanked the organizers in a written statement.
A community shaped by exile
Ahiska Turks were deported from their homeland in present-day Georgia to Central Asia in 1944 on the orders of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Many later resettled in the United States in the mid-2000s, and Pennsylvania is home to one of the community’s largest concentrations.
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