FROM THE PRESIDENT

In the many years I have lived in Southern California, I met a lot of Lebanese individuals and families who are very successful in every aspect of their careers, however, I noticed they only managed to make contacts with few Lebanese families, even after so many years of living in Southern California which hosts one of the largest Lebanese communities in the US.

The majority of us share the feeling of not belonging here, and we have been saying that we are going back home next year for the last twenty years plus. Time is passing us fast, our kids are growing up, and some are starting to forget their native Arabic language. Others didn’t learn it at all, and we are demanding from them to say they are Lebanese or Lebanese American when they don’t know much about Lebanon’s history, culture, or language.

In various Lebanese family gatherings, we discussed how successful we are at an individual level, but not as a group, and why so many Lebanese organizations have failed in the past. The answer was that we need to build a stronger Lebanese community that caters to all Lebanese with no exception. The idea of United Lebanese Organization was born.

Yours,
Fadi Ghattas, ULO President