Diaspora and Descendants

Colour interior. Large crowd of approximately 70 people who are all sitting around 10 tables all watching a woman doing a presentation. The group is a mix of men and women of all ages. The woman presenting is standing at the front of the room at a podium. There is blue tape on the floor that making a circular pattern near the podium. In the background of the photo there are three blue doors, and in between two of the doors there is a big stage with green curtains.

Lorraine Michael presenting about growing up on New Gower Street in St. John’s. 2021.

Despite facing historical prejudices, the story of the Lebanese community in Newfoundland is one of resilience and success. Many of the family businesses that started in the 1910s and 1920s continued for decades. Some still operate today. Several of the buildings built for Lebanese business owners are still standing. The descendants of early Lebanese immigrants became prominent business people, community leaders, politicians, artists, and musicians.

Colour portrait. Group of 20 people, nine men, nine women, and two young girls posed in front of a sign with the Lebanese flag in the left corner (red and white flag with green tree in centre), to the right of the flag is green text that says Mika’el Elia Family Reunion.

Members of the Andrews family at the Mika’el Elia family reunion. August 1, 2010.

Since 1949, new immigrants from Lebanon have been welcomed into the thriving cultural community. They have left their own mark on business, healthcare, and government. Over 800 people of Lebanese descent live in the province today. Third- and fourth-generation Lebanese-Newfoundlanders remain proud of their history. They hold tight to traditions and foodways passed down from their grandparents. Many still visit extended family members in Lebanon, or have family connections across North America. They have a unique identity, rooted in Newfoundland but still connected to their ancestral home.

Lebanese-Newfoundlanders Creating Community References and Acknowledgements