Chicago was founded by a Haitian. Chef Daniel Aurel, 26, wants people to know that. There is a large, vibrant mural of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable — the city’s founder — on the outside of his family-owned restaurant Lior’s Cafe in the Washington Heights neighborhood, one of the few restaurants where customers can sit and be waited on in the area.
Haitians have been coming to the city for centuries, Aurel said. His grandfather came to Chicago from Haiti in 1962, and brought his family with him. The restaurant, which opened in May 2023, attracts people from all over the city for Aurel’s famous oxtails, goat pot pie and shrimp stew.
“Haitian food is soul,” he said. “It’s family.” So when former President Donald Trump brought up the unsubstantiated claim in the presidential debate earlier this month that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are stealing pets to eat, Aurel, like other Haitians in Chicago, called the rhetoric upsetting.
But they said they would refuse to let Trump’s continuing unfounded attacks define their values. Haitian culture is deeply rooted and showcased throughout the city. Chicago’s Haitian community has been stung by Trump’s language, but it has also reminded them of everything they have to be proud of, according to interviews with Haitian leaders, workers and recently arrived immigrants.
Although there have not been widespread reports of threats or harassment in Chicago, the community plans to show support for the Haitians i.