Hey, what's going on everybody it's Tennyson Donyea with
NJ.com. We're in downtown Elizabeth right now about to
check out First Republic Lounge where you'll find a healthy dose
of Haitian food, art, and nightlife. For many Haitian
Americans, this is a home away from home First Republic
restaurant and lounge founded by five friends of Haitian descent,
all of whom attended Kean University in Union.
The inspiration behind first public restaurant and lounge was
it was inspired by the first free independent black republic
in the Western Hemisphere, which is the island of Haiti in the
Caribbean.
Dining at First Republic lounge can be an immersive experience
where one can find the Haitian influence and every aspect of
the venue from the food and drinks to the art along the
walls.
The art that's displayed here first, the public really depicts
a history of Haiti and its independence and really tells
the story of First Republic not only does it tell the story of
the independence, but it also shows the beauty on the culture
of Haiti.
We have some dating back to when the revolution was taking place.
We have one that showcases the role of women.
The names of Haitian revolutionaries like Toussaint
are written on the walls, traditional Kompa music or
American hip hop typically blares from the speakers.
Kompa is a collection of various instruments that are played to
make it the sound that you hear. It's heavy with the drums. It
has a lot of you know, you'll see it has African influence,
Latino influence. Music is a music that really expresses love
and tells stories about the island. And people love to dance
to it.
Some foods here are steeped in tradition, like the soup joumou
or pumpkin soup, which Haitians all around the world drink on
January 1.
The reason why because when we're a slave.We were not
allowed to drink it. We make it for the master for them to
drink, but we're not even allowed to even touch it. After
we get our freedom our independence. The first thing we
do, it's make it for our self.
The restaurant became a vehicle for recovery in Haiti after a
2010 earthquake ravaged the island and claim 250,000 lives.
Some of First Republic Lounges proceeds go towards a service
trip the owners take to the island each year.
We go back to Haiti annually. We've been in Haiti now for the
past 10 years, doing working on water purification, working on
mobile clinics, supporting education, supporting schools
and orphanages. And making sure that there's hope.
It's a wake up call in terms of the needs that are that are in
demand in Haiti. The things we'll take for granted here,
people would die to have, right. But what it does when we do go,
what we do see is that how resilient people are in Haiti.
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of black in New Jersey,
a show that's unapologetically Black, unapologetically Jersey.
I'm about to dig into this goat taso and rice and beans for
nj.com. I'm Tennyson Donyea.