Lloyd Harbor, New York — Preservation Long Island is pleased to host a celebration of Black Poetry Day and the 314th birthday of Long Island writer Jupiter Hammon at Joseph Lloyd Manor. The program will feature a presentation by author and professor James G. Basker, entitled The Black Presence in the Founding Era. Joseph Lloyd Manor will open at 3:00 PM for self-guided tours and light refreshments. Professor Basker’s talk will begin at 4:00 PM.

Drawing on the hundreds of lives represented in his recent book Black Writers of the Founding Era (Library of America, 2023), James G. Basker, president and CEO of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Richard Gilder Professor of Literary History at Barnard College, Columbia University, will talk about the rich variety of life stories and contributions to the American founding made by such people as Jupiter Hammon, Lemuel Haynes, Phillis Wheatley, James Forten, Benjamin Banneker, and many others whose names were almost lost to history.

Black Poetry Day is observed each year on the birthday of Jupiter Hammon (1711–before 1806), America’s first published Black poet. Enslaved by the Lloyd family, Hammon lived and wrote at Joseph Lloyd Manor (c. 1767), where he composed some of his most significant works on the moral conflicts of slavery and freedom in the early United States. In 2020, the site was designated a National Literary Landmark in his honor.

“I am excited to welcome James Basker to Joseph Lloyd Manor to help us celebrate Jupiter Hammon’s 314th Birthday and Black Poetry Day to honor the legacy of Jupiter Hammon,” said Jackie Powers, Preservation Long Island Executive Director.  “Hammon wrote powerfully about liberty, justice, and perseverance, and we hope this event will bring more attention to his inspirational words.”

“In the context of the upcoming commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Jupiter Hammon’s life and writings offer a uniquely nuanced view of slavery and freedom on Long Island before and after the American Revolution,” said Andrew Tharler, Preservation Long Island’s Director of Education and Engagement. “Hammon is among the earliest writers of this period whose words provide a perspective from the Black community.”

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.”

Event Details:
Black Poetry Day Program – “The Black Presence in the Founding Era”
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Time: 3:00-5:00 PM
Location: Joseph Lloyd Manor (1 Lloyd Lane, Lloyd Harbor)
Tickets: Free for PLI Members | $10 Non-Members
Registration and details: https://preservationlongisland.org/black-poetry-day-2025/