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Jupiter Hammon

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Joseph Lloyd Manor garden. Courtesy of Preservation Long Island.

The Caribbean American Poetry Association (CAPA) and Preservation Long Island (PLI) invite students in Grades 6-12 across Long Island to share original poems as part of the 2025 Caribbean American Heritage Month/ Juneteenth Poetry Celebration on Thursday, June 19 in Lloyd Harbor. This event will pay homage to Jupiter Hammon (1711–c. 1806), recognized as the first published Black American poet. The event will take place at Joseph Lloyd Manor where Hammon authored his most significant works about the moral conflicts of slavery and freedom in the early United States while enslaved on Long Island.

In honor of Hammon’s legacy, CAPA and PLI invite students to submit their original poetry for the open-mic segment of the Juneteenth event. Students are encouraged to share verses on themes of liberty, resistance, and the power of writing, all of which resonate deeply with Hammon’s work. Entries will be accepted from students in Grades 6 through 12. Those who wish to participate must submit their original poetry on or before June 1, 2025. Poems should be no more than 40 lines long. Click HERE for details and guidelines for teachers and students. Poetry submissions are due by June 1, 2025.

The student open-mic will follow performances by featured poets, Dr. Lindamichelle Baron, Keisha-Gay Anderson, and Yasmin Morais. The program will begin with tours of Joseph Lloyd Manor and live Caribbean music. It will also include a dramatic historical hip-hopera by award-winning playwright, author, and poet Marsha M. Nelson, and a Taste of the Caribbean Table featuring signature dishes donated by local Caribbean eateries. The event is free; however, guests are encouraged to RSVP.

Support

The Juneteenth Poetic Tribute to Jupiter Hammon is funded in part by Poets & Writers with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. For more information about sponsorship opportunities or to participate in The Taste of the Caribbean Table, please contact CAPA at: [email protected].

About CAPA

The Caribbean American Poetry Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing Caribbean poetry in the United States, promoting the work of Caribbean American poets, and bringing Caribbean American poetry to the widest possible audiences.

About Preservation Long Island

Preservation Long Island is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate and preserve Long Island’s diverse cultural and architectural heritage through advocacy, education, and the stewardship of historic sites and collections. http://preservationlongisland.org

About Joseph Lloyd Manor

Located in the Town of Huntington, Joseph Lloyd Manor (c.1767) is one of Preservation Long Island’s historic houses and a site that enslaved generations of people of African descent. The house was designated as a National Literary Landmark™ in 2020 by the United for Libraries and Empire State Center for the Book in honor of writer Jupiter Hammon’s literary achievements. https://preservationlongisland.org/joseph-lloyd-manor/

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'Voices and Votes' exhibit

‘Voices and Votes: Democracy in America’ will be on view in Cold Spring Harbor from March 22 to May 3

Preservation Long Island has been chosen to be the first venue in New York State to host the “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” exhibition which examines the nearly 250-year-old American experiment of a government “of, by and for the people,” and how each generation since continues to question how to form “a more perfect union.”

This initiative is all part of the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program — a national/state/local partnership to bring exhibitions to small town and rural cultural organizations across America. The exhibit will be on view at the Preservation Long Island Exhibition Gallery, 161 Main Street, in Cold Spring Harbor from March 22 to May 3 before touring eleven more communities across New York through January 2026.

“Preservation Long Island is excited to serve as the inaugural site for “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America,” said Alexandra Wolfe, Preservation Long Island Executive Director. “The exhibition’s focus on freedom, civic participation, and political engagement resonates strongly with our commitment to making the past relevant to the present.” 

The exhibit engages multimedia interactives with short games; and historical objects like campaign souvenirs, voter memorabilia, and protest material and will include a section that incorporates art and artifacts drawn from Preservation Long Island and other local collections. 

“The objects we chose connect the broader historical narratives of Voices and Votes with Long Island people and stories—addressing themes such as the ways people make their voices heard, who is left out of the conversation, and the roles and responsibilities of citizens,” said Lauren Brincat, Preservation Long Island Curator.

Among the local highlights in the exhibition is an original essay by Jupiter Hammon (1711–ca. 1806), America’s first published African American poet, written while he was enslaved at Joseph Lloyd Manor in Lloyd Harbor shortly after the American Revolution, advocating for the citizenship of Black New Yorkers in the new nation. Other items include a bracelet and ring made from scrap sheet metal by women aircraft factory workers on Long Island as the United States fought to preserve democracy abroad during World War II, and the drawings and models for the national monument to African American civil rights leader and women’s rights activist, Mary MacLeod Bethune (1875–1855), created by Long Island artist, Robert Berks (1922–2011) in 1974. 

“‘Voices and Votes’ allows us to reflect on Cold Spring Harbor and the surrounding community history and explore what it means to be an active participant in the governance of not only the country but also this community,” said Andrew Tharler, Preservation Long Island Education and Engagement Director.

The series of local exhibition-related programming and free events include a community quilt project, curator-led exhibition and walking tours, lectures, community conversations and an oral history series. To preview the full schedule, visit preservationlongisland.org/voices-and-votes/.

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The Joseph Lloyd Manor in Lloyd Harbor. Photo from Preservation Long Island

Join Curator, Lauren Brincat, and Education & Engagement Director, Andrew Tharler of Preservation Long Island for a special guided tour of the Joseph Lloyd Manor (circa 1767), 1 Lloyd Lane, Lloyd Harbor on Saturday, July 30 or Saturday, Aug. 6 from 11 a.m. to noon.

Attendees will view a new panel exhibition and audiovisual installation centered on Jupiter Hammon’s (1711–before 1806) life and poetry and step into spaces previously closed to the public. 

Joseph Lloyd Manor was once the center a 3,000-acre provisioning plantation established in the late 17th century. Hammon was one of the many people of African descent enslaved at the site. Considered the first published African American poet, Hammon authored his most significant writings about the moral conflicts of slavery and freedom at Joseph Lloyd Manor.

*Please note that this tour includes stairs. Only the first floor of the Manor is wheelchair accessible.

Cost is $10, $5 members. Registration is required by calling 631- 692-4664 or by visiting www.preservationlongisland.org.

 

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The Joseph Lloyd Manor property will serve as a pilot site for the grant project.

Preservation Long Island, a regional preservation advocacy nonprofit based in Cold Spring Harbor, is pleased to announce the United for Libraries Literary LandmarkTM designation for one of its historic properties, Joseph Lloyd Manor, an 18th -century manor house in Lloyd Harbor, NY, and a site of Black enslavement. The designation honors Jupiter Hammon (1711– ca.1806), one of the earliest published African American writers who composed his most well- known works while enslaved at the manor.

The Literary LandmarkTM plaque unveiling and virtual celebration will take place at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 17, which recognizes Hammon’s 309th birthday as well as Black Poetry Day. This will mark the first Literary Landmark dedication to be livestreamed.

Jupiter Hammon’s life and writings offer an exceptionally nuanced view of slavery and freedom on Long Island before and after the American Revolution. His works are especially significant because most literature and historical documents from the eighteenth century were not written from an enslaved person’s point of view.

Hammon’s known works include at least six poems and three essays published during his lifetime. At Joseph Lloyd Manor in 1786, he penned “An Address to the Negroes of the State of New-York” and “An Essay on Slavery.”

“As one of the significant early examples of African American literature before the republic, Jupiter Hammon’s work is a masterful ethical critique on slavery, religion, and humane relationship,” said Dr. Georgette Grier-Key, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Eastville Community Historical Society and a member of the Jupiter Hammon Project Advisory Council.

“The designation by United for Libraries validates what we recognized from the beginning, that Jupiter Hammon is a nationally significant individual in history but not many people know about him,” said Lauren Brincat, Curator at Preservation Long Island.

“The Literary Landmark designation complements the work of our multi-year Jupiter Hammon Project that aims to engage the site more fully to reflect the multiple events, perspectives, and people that shaped the house’s history, including elevating the voice and history of Jupiter Hammon”, said Alexandra Wolfe, Preservation Long Island’s Executive Director.

The unveiling event will feature remarks by Rocco Staino, United for Libraries Board Member and Director of Empire State Center for the Book and Irene Moore, Chair, Huntington African American Historic Designation Council. Actor/writer, Malik Work will perform his poem, “An Aria of Pain”. The winners of the Jupiter Hammon Essay/Poetry Contest from Silas Wood Sixth Grade Center, South Huntington Union Free School District, will recite their winning entries. Closing remarks will be delivered by Joye Brown, Columnist/Associate Editor, Newsday.

“One of the advantages of a virtual event and livestreaming of the designation ceremony is that it will be accessible to a much larger audience. We will also have recorded documentation of this celebration of Hammon’s significant accomplishments and contributions to American history and literature that will endure digitally on our website”, said Wolfe.

To register for the virtual event via Zoom visit:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jupiter-hammon-literary-landmark-virtual-celebration-tickets- 91899358455

To view the event via Facebook Live (no registration required), visit Preservation Long Island’s Facebook page on October 17th at 2 p.m.:
https://www.facebook.com/preservationlongisland/

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