People immigrate to the US for all sorts of reasons, economic, political or even social. Moreover, North Carolina is rich in Lebanese culture. The first wave of Lebanese immigrants was in the early 1900s when an economic crisis hit Lebanon. Many Lebanese were dependent on silk as their source of income, so when the price of silk plummeted the traveled to the US to seek a better life. When they came to the US, they started their businesses such as running retail stores. Nevertheless, they were caught in the storm of racial issues. Even though most of the immigrants were Christians, they were Catholics, that is they were not from the Protestant majority in the US. They faced discrimination in their public life, so they had to get involved in their communities to mix with the American culture while holding on to their Lebanese heritage. It was especially difficult from them to blend in the rural areas because at the time many rural areas were predominantly-white mill towns where everyone in that town was working in the mill and living in a mill house. The Lebanese community in North Carolina was revitalized by the second wave of immigrants who fled their country due to the civil war. The second wave was more diverse because it consisted of people who had higher education and people from other religions such as Muslims. It is impressive how the Lebanese were able to adapt while preserving their culture and traditions which were mostly reinforced by the first and second generation.
Opening of Neomonde in 1979
References:
Unknown, “Saleh Family and Friends at Neomonde Opening, 1979,” Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies Archive, accessed July 11, 2018, http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/items/show/482.