Sevgili Arkadaşlar,
We are happy to announce that we have officially launched the National Coalition of Turkish American Women Political Action Committee (NC-TAW PAC) on October 29, Turkish Republic Day. NC-TAW PAC’s mission is to encourage and support Turkish Americans, particularly women, to participate in the American political system by engaging with elected officials and by running for public office. As Turkish American women, we support legislation that advocates for gender, social, economic, and racial equality; global peace, justice, equity; and environmental stewardship.
NC-TAW PAC’s website is www.nationalcoalitiontawpac.org, and the email address is nationalcoalitiontawpac@gmail.com. Officers are President/Treasurer Tuba Firincioglu-Apaydin, Colorado, and Vice Presidents/Assistant Treasurers Hulya Erol-Garvett, Michigan, and Tulay Spicker, Texas. Members of the Executive Committee are M. Hande Akmehmet, Virginia; Nilsu Goren, Maryland; Serap Odabas-Yigit, Florida; Nilgun Ozer, Northern California; Ceylan Rowe, Massachusetts; Aycha Sirvanci Sawa, Wisconsin; Burcu Tansu, Southern California; and Derya Taskin, New Jersey.
You can show your support now to NC-TAW PAC by allowing us to include your email address and state of residence on the database.
We believe that it is not too late for Turkish Americans to make a difference in the 2020 election. Thus, we organized NC-TAW PAC’s first activity prior to its official launching. On October 25, NC-TAW PAC organized a phone bank activity for Turkish Americans from different parts of the U.S. to come together on a Zoom call to make phone calls on behalf of the Virginia campaign to support the Biden-Harris ticket. At the start, we showed a video message from Congresswoman Ann Kuster (D-NH/2nd) congratulating Turkish American women for establishing a PAC and thanking them for becoming involved in the 2020 election. Ajlan (AJ) Kurdoglu, the Turkish American Democratic candidate for the Arizona State Senate, also spoke at the event.
Additionally, NC-TAW PAC has already made its first contribution on October 29 to a Turkish American woman candidate, Sezin Palmer, running for the Howard County (Maryland) Board of Education.
We encourage you to support Sezin Palmer and Ajlan (AJ) Kurdoglu, who has a chance of becoming the first Turkish American to be elected to a state office, as well as the other six candidates from the Turkish American community in the general election on November 3. Your contributions will help raise the Turkish American voice across the country.
– John Alpay, running for a nonpartisan seat on the City Council of San Juan Capistrano, CA, www.JohnAlpay.com
– Onur Arugaslan, running for the nonpartisan position of Trustee of the Mattawan Consolidated Schools Board of Education in Michigan. www.facebook.com/onur4mattawanschools
– Ben Bartlett (D), spouse of Yelda Mesbah Bartlett, seeking reelection (nonpartisan candidate) for the Berkeley (CA) City Council. www.benbartlett.vote
– Leah Ersoylu, spouse of Turkish American Sarp Ersoylu, running for the nonpartisan position of Trustee of the Newport Mesa United School District in Orange County, California. www.leah4newportmesa.com
– Zarina Kiziloglu, spouse of Dr. Kursad Kiziloglu, running for a nonpartisan seat on the City Council of Pleasanton, CA. www.zarina4pleasanton.com
– Ajlan Kurdoglu (D), running for the Arizona State Senate in Legislative District 17. Received endorsements from President Obama, Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden, Vice Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris, and several members from the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. www.voteforaj.com
– Sezin Palmer, running for a nonpartisan seat on the Howard County (Maryland) Public Schools Board of Education District 4. www.sezin4boe.org
– Tayfun Selen (R), up for reelection after being elected earlier in the year to fill a vacancy on the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders (County Commissioners) in New Jersey. secure.anedot.com/selen/morriscountycommissioner
Cumhuriyet Bayramınız kutlu olsun!
Tuba Firincioglu-Apaydin