Preservation Long Island: ‘The Black Presence in the Founding Era’ / Talk by James G. Basker, Oct 18th

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Please join us at Joseph Lloyd Manor on Saturday, October 18, 2025 for a celebration of Black Poetry Day and the 314th birthday of Jupiter Hammon, America’s first published Black poet.

Tours of Joseph Lloyd Manor and a presentation by professor and author James G. Basker.

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Drawing on the hundreds of lives represented in his recent book Black Writers of the Founding Era, James G. Basker 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.

James G. Basker is president and CEO of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Richard Gilder Professor of Literary History at Barnard College, Columbia University.

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.

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.

Please click HERE to register.

Date & Time: Saturday, October 18, 2025, 3:00-5:00 PM
Location: Joseph Lloyd Manor (1 Lloyd Lane, Lloyd Harbor)
Tickets: Free for PLI Members | $10 Non-Members

This presentation is part of Preservation Long Island’s Margaret Sullivan Speaker Series.