November 15-22, 2008 -The Turkish Coalition of America sponsored a speaking tour by Dr. Faruk Logoglu, former Turkish Ambassador to the US , which took Dr. Logoglu to five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and other college campuses highlighting US-Turkey relations in the aftermath of the US presidential elections.
Since its foundation in 2007, TCA has focused on reaching out to American minorities and ethnic communities in an effort to build mutual understanding between cultures and build bridges between the Turkish American community and other communities in America . Several programs have been developed by TCA to expand relations with the African American community, including providing scholarships to African American college students to study a semester in Turkey and increasing faculty exchanges between HBCUs and Turkish universities. Partnering with the United Negro College Fund Special Programs and the Ron Brown Scholar Program, TCA has taken a delegation of African American college administrators to Turkey in March 2008 and plans a similar visit for January 2009.
A thirty-five year veteran of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a former Undersecretary of the Ministry, Dr. Logoglu also served as President of the Eurasian Strategic Studies Center . Dr. Logoglu’s presentation titled “Turkey: A Strategic U.S. Partner – Now, and in the Future”, was given at a number of venues on the East Coast from November 15th to the 22nd, including at Howard University; North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in Greensboro, NC; Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, NC; the World Affairs Council at Duke University in Durham, NC; Spelman College in conjunction with faculty and students from Morehouse College. Dr.Logoglu was also welcomed warmly by Turkish Americans in the cities he visited, meeting with community representatives, as well as Turkish American students. In Boston , he met with Turkish American students in the area at Brandeis University , his Alma mater, and with members of the Turkish American community at a TCA dinner in his honor.
