Oldest historical sources, we came across dates back to the 18th century of Turkic peoples who visited the New World from various parts of the Russian Federation (as it is known at the present), Central Asian Republics and Turkey. Some elected to stay here, looking for new opportunities, and assimilated into the society, most returned home, because they felt home-sick, or could not agree with the prevailing life-style, or for some such reason.

In the beginning of the 1900’s, most of such visitors arriving in New York in larger numbers, and having settled in the metropolitan area began uniting under one roof. From this newly-formed solidarity was born the idea to officially establish a community here, thus the Moslem Unity Association, Inc., was created, and the subject Certificate of Incorporation was signed on March 15, 1927 by the-then Secretary of State, Robert Moses, who later was to become “the Master Builder,” who is credited with so many monumental projects in New York State. Among the principles adopted behind the formation of this new society by the original membership, consisting of Tatars, Bashkorts, Turks, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Karachai, Circassians, and others, were the need to maintain the common language and religious traditions, civilization and customs in this new adopted homeland.

Based on the same ideals and principles, the association underwent name changes twice – the first, to the American Islamic Association, Inc. on November 4, 1964, and then to its present status as the American Tatar Association, Inc., effective March 21, 1974. The building in College Point, New York, where the community celebrates the national and religious holidays, and other significant days and evenings, since opening its doors on August 20, 1968, has hosted many guests from different spheres in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Australia, Finland, Japan and other parts of the world, where our peoples are located.

Following the days and years after World War II, there was an influx of these and other minorities into the country and particularly the metropolitan area, which increased the numbers of some of the member communities to such levels, that they elected to form new sister-societies elsewhere in the Tri-State Region under their own names. There is an ongoing friendly and mutually-enriching relationship established not only among these communities in the metropolitan area, but also between the ATA and those in San Francisco, Washington, D.C. area, Montreal, and even those in Turkey, Finland, Germany, Australia, Japan and others.