Juneteenth is an important day in Black history as well as American history. Though Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, it wasn't until June 19, 1865, that the last enslaved people in the United States were freed. Juneteenth is a reason to celebrate, and across the Island, there are plenty of ways to join in.

Preservation Long Island and the Caribbean American Poetry Association (CAPA) are working together to spotlight the holiday with an outdoor poetry reading and picnic featuring three professional authors and student poets.

One of the highlights of that joint collaboration is a tribute to Jupiter Hammon, who is recognized as the first Black American published poet, said Beryl R. Williams, a Huntington Station poet and the director of CAPA. Hammon was born enslaved at Joseph Lloyd Manor in Lloyd Harbor in 1711. "In Huntington, everybody is very proud of it being the birthplace of Walt Whitman," Williams said, "but not many people know that there's another amazing poet who was also from the general area,."

Preservation Long Island's Jupiter Hammon Project has been working for years to increase awareness of the poet who wrote, among other things, about slavery and freedom. Andrew Tharler, the group’s education and engagement director, explained that students from grades 6-12 were invited to send poems that "reflect on the themes of liberty, resistance and the power of writing" for an open mic event.

Williams encourages young writers saying, "People say 'Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can do me no harm.' But words can heal. Words can inspire"

Outdoor festivals are planned by towns in Nassau and Suffolk for Juneteenth. The village of Hempstead's backyard barbecue celebrates history, culture and especially community, said Angela Stanley, director of the village's human relations council. "We're going to have some vendors out, music, food, crafts, hamburgers and hot dogs," she said. "Come out and celebrate, bring your lawn chairs and your family."

Young artists can head over to the Heckscher Museum of Art to celebrate Huntington's Juneteenth Freedom Day. Local artist and educator Alan Cooley will be on hand to help turn a creative impulse into a piece of art inspired by new works at the museum by artists Mickalene Thomas and Wardell Milan. There will be drawing. There will be collage. There will be glitter, and at the end, there will be a brand new take-home work of art. The museum stays open late, and in the park music, dancing, food trucks and raffles organized by Huntington's Juneteenth Community Group keep the celebration going.

The Jazz Loft hosts a Juneteenth concert celebrating East End musicians Teddy Charles, Teo Macero, Hal McKusick and the Heath Brothers at Stony Brook Southampton's Avram Theater at 7 p.m. June 19. Tenor saxophonist Houston Person, who is 90, will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Jazz Loft and special recognition from the NAACP of Eastern Long Island

Among the longest-running Juneteenth celebrations on Long Island is the Town of Brookhaven’s, now in its 11th year and organized by Corrinne Graham, chair of the town's Black History Commission. "We started off really small," she said, "and then-Supervisor [Edward P.] Romaine, who is now the county executive, said we have to do this every year and we should make it bigger."

Hundreds of Brookhaven residents are expected for potato sack races, a tug of war, double Dutch jump rope, a children's story time and a free picnic. Along with music by Jawaan Sween and a performance by Domin8 Dance Studio, Graham said it's an opportunity for everyone from Girl Scout troops to the League of Women Voters and the local NAACP to get together as a community.

"It's important for us to embrace our history and this part of our history and to understand what it means," she said. "So, we put together a program that celebrates the culture of the African-American people, and we also celebrate community members all over the town and learn about it in fellowship together."

Underpinning all the Juneteenth celebrations is an important teaching moment about American history.

Though Jupiter Hammon, who died in 1806, was enslaved for most of his life, he eventually became free. Tharler noted that Hammon was probably the first Black property owner in Huntington.

"When I first heard of it," Williams said, "I thought it was astounding that a whole group of people did not know that they were already freed."

She added: "Knowing is freedom. Knowing is poetry."