Tajik Americans are Americans who trace their origin to
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
. The majority of Tajik Americans are ethnic
Tajiks
Tajiks ( fa, تاجيک، تاجک, ''Tājīk, Tājek''; tg, Тоҷик) are a Persian-speaking Iranian ethnic group native to Central Asia, living primarily in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Tajiks are the largest ethnicity in Taj ...
.
Demography
About 6,000 Tajiks live in the US. Most reside in
New York,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
, as well as in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Many come to the US to study and work. Most Tajiks who emigrated to work get the right of permanent residence. Most second-generation Tajiks can speak their original language, while those of mixed descent mainly speak English. Many marry other Tajiks because of their cultural affinity.
[INTERVIEW: Tajik American community and other Central Asian diasporas in the United States]
Rethink: Institute Washington DC (source in Russian language, but is the only source found about Tajiks living in US, apart from the articles about their associations in the US). Posted in July 2015. Retrieved on April 27, 2016.
Associations
Several Tajik associations operate in the US. One is the American-Tajik Association, established in Brooklyn, whose goal is to unite the Tajik diaspora, giving them a forum to gather and celebrate their culture.
In May 2012 the Tajik American Cultural Association (TACA) was founded by Tajik local volunteers Vladimir Fedorenko, Anvar Samadzoda, Akobir Akhmedov and Faridun Nazarov in
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth ...
as a non-profit, non-governmental, cultural, professional and educational organization. The mission of TACA is to promote and facilitate intercultural understanding and cooperation by organizing educational and cultural programs that focus on issues concerning the Tajik American community.
In addition, TACA strives to address the needs of the Tajik community in America. TACA believes that building cultural bridges among Tajik and American communities is needed and aims to promote further integration, encourage cooperation and establish close relations with other US communities.
Notable people
*
Malika Kalontarova, dancer
*
Rus Yusupov
Rus Yusupov (born May 4, 1984) is an American designer and tech entrepreneur. He is best known as the co-founder of Vine and the co-founder and CEO of HQ Trivia.
Career
Early career
Yusupov began his career as a digital product designer at ...
, businessman
See also
*
Central Asians in the United States
Central Asians in the United States are Americans with ancestry from Central Asia. They include Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek individuals. People of Afghan, Baloch, and Uyghur descent are also sometimes classified as Central Asi ...
*
Tajikistan–United States relations
References
{{Central Asians in the United States
Central Asian American
Tajikistani American