Southern Federation of Syrian Lebanese American Clubs Records 1933-2022

The Southern Federation of Syrian Lebanese American Clubs (SFSLAC), known as the Southern Federation of Syrian Clubs until 1938, was founded on July 4, 1931 as a resource for Syrian-Lebanese Americans. The founders included members of the L’Monar Club, the L’Fatette Club, the Austin Girls’ Friendly Club, and the Men’s Capitol Club. Delegates from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Alabama met in Port Arthur, Texas to put together a plan to fulfill the needs of the Lebanese American community. The stated purpose of the SFSLAC was to maintain cultural traditions while upholding American values. As described by Eileen Cook in meeting minutes during the 1980s, “the federation was founded on love, the love of our heritage, love of our forebearers, and love of the country we live in.”

The SFSLAC organized its first annual convention in 1933. Members of the SFSLAC remained committed through the end of the Great Depression and World War II, with founders consistently taking on influential roles. After the war, the SFSLAC began to fund scholarships, put together banquets, and collaborate with other Syrian Lebanese clubs. Since then, the SFSLAC has maintained annual and semi-annual conventions, board meetings, and monthly bulletins for its members.

The Southern Federation of Syrian Lebanese American Clubs (SFSLAC) Records include convention and conference materials, meeting proceedings of the executive board and the general officers, reports and official bulletins, constitutions and bylaws, and materials of clubs affiliated with SFSLAC. The records date from 1933 to 2022 with a geographical scope consisting of the southern United States. The materials show the operation of SFSLAC as a resource for Syrian and Lebanese Americans with documents covering topics such as heritage, socialization, charity, and the nationwide distribution of information related to the community.

This collection is arranged in series:

1. Meeting Minutes and Agendas

2. Constitutions and Bylaws

3. Program Books and Handbooks

4. Official Bulletins and Documents

5. Affiliated Clubs

The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.

[Identification of item], Southern Federation of Syrian Lebanese American Clubs Records, KC 0060, Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies Archive, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Gift of the Southern Federation of Syrian Lebanese American Clubs, facilitated by Peggy and Richard Karam, 2020 February (Accession Nos. 2020.009, 2022.002, 2022.014).

Processed by Amanda Forbes and Celine Shay, 2020-2021. Finding aid content contributed by Celine Shay, 2021. Addition processed by Celine Shay, Rachel Beth Acker, and Laura Lethers, 2022 May-2023 April. Finding aid created and updated by Laura Lethers, 2023 May. Finding aid updated by Allison Hall, 2023 September.