Despite the recent surge in publications on African slavery and Africans and in the late Ottoman Empire, little is known about their descendants, many of whom are concentrated in Izmir and along Turkey’s Aegean coast. In this paper I aim to examine the recent developments in the history of these Turkish citizens of African descent (hitherto Afro-Turks) which began following the publication of a family history by an Afro-Turk in 2005. Thus an examination of the motivations behind the promotion of Afro-Turk identity by the Turkish government, the Turkish historical society, and the media since its publication will be in order. I will argue that this unprecedented attention given to Afro-Turks is linked to the desire of the Turkish government to present Turkish society as being open, progressive, and respectful toward its minorities. Whether the impetus behind this promotion is related to admission to the European Union or to domestic concerns, it is not clear. However, it is clear that the Afro-Turks, unlike native Christians, Jews, or Kurds, represent a minority that the Turkish government and media can promote without inflaming Turkish nationalist sentiments. In this paper I also aim to center Afro-Turks themselves within the discussions surrounding their identity, history, and their place in Turkey today, by detailing the preliminary results of interviews conducted with Afro-Turks living in and around Izmir. This paper thus follows the work of Leyla Neyzi, whose use of oral history has uncovered hitherto unknown aspects of the lives of minorities in modern Turkey. The results of my interviews suggest that what Afro-Turks themselves believe is not entirely in line with the government and media portrayal of Afro-Turk identity. Thus Afro-Turks remain largely disconnected from the ongoing discussions about their history and identity. The results of this study have far reaching implications for modern Turkish history. First, this study will be breaking new ground as the legacy of Ottoman slavery is largely understudied. Second, examining the emergence of Afro-Turk identity will advance our understanding about the global phenomenon of identity formation. Finally, the popularization of Afro-Turk identity reflects recent developments in Turkish society: it is part of the slow erosion of the previously rigid concept of Turkishness that was constructed in the republic’s founding years. Sources for this paper include Turkish historical society publications, Turkish newspapers, European Union reports and interviews conducted with Afro-Turks.