Join us for a FREE virtual talk with scholar Laini Farrare exploring Black craftsmanship, labor, wealth, and status in early America through the study of a pair of mahogany chairs made for Sag Harbor resident and enslaver, Captain William Johnson Rysam (1737–1809). Registration required.
The painful effects of racial bias and the long legacy of slavery are now on full display in our country. Honest communication about race and the legacy of slavery in America is necessary to initiate change and foster a more equitable society. Through the Jupiter Hammon Project, we encourage all to enter into dialogue with those around them, to examine their own biases, and work towards true equality in words and in practice.
The practice of chattel slavery in New York has a long history. Rather than ending enslavement outright, New York enacted a series of gradual emancipation laws that created slow and often complicated paths towards freedom.