Lloyd Harbor Caribbean American Heritage Month & Juneteenth Celebration Honors Poet Jupiter Hammon

Lloyd Harbor, NY— The Caribbean American Poetry Association (CAPA) will observe Caribbean American Heritage Month and Juneteenth with a tribute to poet Jupiter Hammon (1711–before 1806), the first published Black poet in the United States. This celebration, presented in partnership with Preservation Long Island (PLI), will gather poets, musicians, playwrights, and actors for a powerful commemoration on Thursday, June 19, 2025, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Joseph Lloyd Manor—the former plantation house where Jupiter Hammon was enslaved, now a house museum stewarded by PLI. It was at this manor, located in Lloyd Harbor, New York, that Hammon authored his most significant works exploring the moral conflicts of slavery and freedom in the early United States.

Jupiter Hammon’s connection to the Caribbean is significant to note. “Jupiter Hammon’s grandparents were enslaved on a plantation in Barbados owned by the Sylvester family, who eventually brought them to Long Island,” according to Andrew Tharler, Preservation Long Island’s Education and Engagement Director. “Preservation Long Island is excited to celebrate Juneteenth at Joseph Lloyd Manor and honor the legacy of Jupiter Hammon. He wrote powerfully about liberty, justice, and perseverance, and we hope this event will bring more attention to his inspirational words.”

“We invite everyone to join us as we celebrate the vibrant culture of the Caribbean during National Caribbean American Heritage Month. We are also excited about the opportunity to commemorate the day when all enslaved people in the United States were freed.” said Dr. Beryl R. Williams, CAPA’s president and founder. “We look forward to welcoming students, poets, and members of the community to this exciting event.”

The celebration will begin with live music and self-guided tours of the manor, followed by a responsive reading of one of Hammon’s works, and performances by the following featured poets:

• Keisha-Gaye Anderson, a talented Jamaican-born poet, writer, visual artist, and media strategist based in Brooklyn, New York. Keisha-Gaye is the author of Gathering the Waters, Everything Is Necessary, and A Spell for Living, which received the Editors’ Choice recognition for Agape’s Numinous Orisons, Luminous Origins Literary Award. Her art has been exhibited at the Billie Holiday Theater, Carter Burden Gallery, Five Myles Gallery, Weeksville Heritage Center, and elsewhere. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from The City College, CUNY.

• Yasmin Morais, a prolific writer and Jamaica-born poet who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States, is the author of From Cane Field to the Sea and Questions in Jamaican Patois. Yasmin blogs at Poets of the Caribbean. She earned an MSc (Government) from the University of the West Indies (Mona), the LLB (Hons.) from the University of London, and an MLIS from the University of Toronto. She is currently the Foreign, Comparative, & International Collection Development Librarian at Harvard Law School.
• Lindamichelle Baron, EdD, an African-American poetic artist with lineage from Jamaica and Dominica, is best known in the world of education for her poetry collections and idea books: The Sun Is On, Rhythm & Dues and For the Love of Life. She is the inaugural Poet Laureate for the Town of Hempstead, and also holds the distinction of being named Village Griot by the Village of Hempstead in Long Island. Dr. Baron’s poetry has been included in numerous poetry anthologies for children and young adults. She received her doctorate from Columbia University’s Teachers College. She is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education at York College, CUNY, where she has also served as chairperson.

The celebration will include a Student Open Poetry Mic led by Suffolk County Teen Poet Laureate Sarah Goodman, a gifted junior at Commack High School, and Nassau County’s first Teen Poet Laureate, Katherine Galbraith-Chan, an honor student at East Williston High School. Reggae artist Khalilah Rose and Guitarist Jhony Victor will provide live musical entertainment, while guests enjoy the creative mini hip-hopera, Every Family Got Beef, by award-winning playwright and poet Marsha M. Nelson. The event will close with A Taste of the Caribbean Table -- refreshments and samples of Caribbean treats provided by local eateries and markets.

Visit the event webpage for additional details. The event is free; however, guests are required to RSVP, as space is limited.

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: caribbeanamericanpoetry@gmail.com.

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 LandmarkTM 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/

Contact:

Andrea Hart, Public Affairs Director, Preservation Long Island

ahart@preservationlongisland.org  631-692-4664 ext.108