The painful effects of racial bias and the long legacy of slavery are now on full display in our country. While many people live their lives shielded from such brutal realities, others must live them each day; carefully and often wary that any encounter could be fatal. This different reality is a topic that causes discomfort, pain, and fear. Honest communication about race and the legacy of slavery in America is necessary to initiate change and foster a more equitable society. Conversation alone will not address or repair these issues. What is essential is dialogue towards understanding and empathy.
Through the Jupiter Hammon Project, we encourage all people to enter into dialogue with those around them, to examine their own biases, and work towards true equality in words and in practice.
The Jupiter Hammon Project is a major initiative and multi-year effort of Preservation Long Island. The goal of the project is to develop a new equitable interpretation for Joseph Lloyd Manor, an 18th-century historic house museum and a site of Black enslavement, and to strengthen its relevance to the Long Island community. This new interpretation will include telling the story of Jupiter Hammon (1711– ca.1806), one of the earliest published African American writers, who composed his most well-known works while enslaved at the house.
Visit our Jupiter Hammon Project webpage to learn more about this initiative and related events. Links to additional content and resources can also be found on our Jupiter Hammon Resources Page.
The Jupiter Hammon Project official press release may be downloaded HERE.
Jupiter Hammon Project Virtual Roundtables
Click HERE to watch Roundtable #3 webinar recording.
Click HERE to watch Roundtable #2 webinar recording.
Click HERE to watch Roundtable #1 webinar recording.
Help Us Tell the Full Story
Your contribution to the Jupiter Hammon Project will help us to expand interpretive programming at the 18th-century Joseph Lloyd Manor to encourage more rigorous and relevant encounters with Jupiter Hammon’s story and the legacy of enslavement on Long Island.
