Explore: Ataturk Park in Wixom Combines Turkish Heritage and Nature
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 22, 2023)
Wixom, MI – Back in the summertime I stumbled upon a park in Wixom filled with symbols of Turkish heritage. Named after Turkey’s first President, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the park has statues of Turkish heroes and signs about the life of the man credited with uniting the Turkish people and creating peace with neighbors including Iran, Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Greece.
Ataturk served as the country’s first President from 1923 until his death in 1938. And his philosophy of Kemalism was described on Wikipedia as having “guided the transition between the multi-religious, multi-ethnic Ottoman Empire to the secular, democratic, and unitary Republic of Turkey. Kemalism sets the boundaries of the social process in the Turkish Reformation.”
Ataruk himself said “I do not leave any dogma, any rule frozen in time as spiritual heritage. My spiritual heritage is science and reason.”
Prior to Turkey’s formation, the area was part of the Ottoman Empire. With Ataturk’s leadership there was a Republican system with voting by the people, free education, a separation of powers similar to the United States with executive, legislative and judicial branches as well as tiers of local and national governments. Many laws based on religion were abolished or changed with diverse viewpoints and autonomy in mind.
Ataturk Park was created by the Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan, which has been around since 1972. Carved in marble are the words “In memory of Detroit’s early Turkish community, they worked side by side with fellow immigrants from many lands giving their labor to help transform America’s economy.”
Among the sculptures is one of poet Nazim Hikmet who lived from 1902-1963, and his poem that states:
To live like a tree
Alone and free
And in brotherhood
Like the forests
This yearning is ours.
The park has a trail that takes visitors through a patch of woods that is perfect for quiet reflection, with signs for stories and education. It is located at 28847 Beck Road in Wixom, just north of I-96. Learn more about the Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan and Ataturk Park at https://tacam.org/
Check out places to Explore in Oakland County and beyond in the Oakland County Times Explore Index. We are currently looking for a sponsor for our Explore! series. If you’d like to help us do more stories like this, please contact editor@oc115.com for more info. Or you can make a donation to our website through PayPal.