Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.
Dedicated October 17th, 2020
Partners: Preservation Long Island; Town of Huntington African American Historic Designation Council; NAACP Huntington Branch; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Sigma Psi Omega Chapter; Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Suffolk County Chapter; The Links, Inc., Long Island (N.Y.) Chapter.
Joseph Lloyd Manor in Lloyd Harbor, New York, was designated a Literary Landmark Saturday October 17th, 2020, in honor of Jupiter Hammon, the first published African American poet.
Jupiter Hammon (1711—c. 1806), lived as an enslaved man at Lloyd Manor. 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.”
The celebration marked the first virtual Literary Landmark dedication. As part of the program, writer and performer Malik Work recited An Aria of Pain, his poetic reflection on the agonies of the Middle Passage. Joye Brown, columnist and assistant editor at Newsday, reminded attendees of Jupiter Hammon’s humanity.
Rocco Staino, United for Libraries Board member and Director of the Empire State Center for the Book, and Congressman Thomas Souzzi, Third Congressional District of New York, joined community leaders in dedicating the thirty-eighth United for Libraries Literary Landmark in New York State.
The dedication brought together various local organizations who collaborated to make the plaque a reality. The organizations included Town of Huntington African American Historic Designation Council NAACP Huntington Branch; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.-; Sigma Psi Omega Chapter; Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated, Suffolk County Chapter; The Links, Incorporated, Long Island (NY) Chapter.
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