National ‘Black Poetry Day’ is Oct. 19 — Music is Poetry

Oct. 19 is national Black Poetry Day -- the date honors Jupiter Hammon, the first African-American to publish poetry in the United States. He was born on Oct. 19, 1711.

Jupiter Hammon was born into slavery. His first published work was an address to the "Negroes" of that area in 1760. “An Evening Prayer” and “An Evening’s Thought: Salvation by Christ, with Penitential Cries."

This is such amazing work and the fact that he is a slave makes this work even more profound. He had such an amazing outlook considering his life.

We celebrate you, Jupiter Hammon, for your poetry and for being the father of African-American literature and poetry.