In 1971, Clemente Spampinato sculpted a statue of Christopher Columbus; an Italian who sailed across the Atlantic for the Spanish empire. Columbus was sailing for India and instead landed on the Caribbean shores of the Taíno people. In subsequent voyages Columbus explored South and Central America, seeking riches for the Spanish Empire.
We know that through disease, conquest, rape and murder the Spanish Empire took hold of the New World. The devastation to the Native people created the need for slave labor resulting in the Atlantic triangular trade.
The Columbus statue stands over 25a looking down into the heart of Huntington to honor Italian American residents.
Over the years we have been misinformed about Columbus and his legacy. This statue is controversial, it’s message is questionable.
The calls for justice in our nation seem to go unheard if our local town government justifies the presence of a modern day immoral figure with arguments of ethnic celebration.
We wish to look up to statues and see the humanity of those figures.
The Town of Huntington ought to instead celebrate the the life and legacy of Jupiter Hammon, Americas first published African American Poet.
Hammon was born and raised in Lloyd Harbor, a lifelong slave for the Lloyd family. He educated himself, and was a staunch abolitionist. Hammon's writing helped instill an awareness of the experience of a slave into the minds of Americans.
As a way to express his feelings toward slavery, he created layers of symbols and metaphors in his writings. In 1786, Hammon delivered a speech known as "Address to Negroes of the State of New York." His speech was published and reprinted by many abolitionists of the day.
One group who reprinted his work was “The Pennsylvania Abolitionists Society”. This organization fought to end the immoral institution of slavery.
Hammon has published 6 poems and 3 essays.
His 4 famous published poems are
-An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ, with Penitential Cries -A Poem For Children With Thoughts On Death
-An Address To Miss Phillis Wheatley
-A Dialogue, Entitled, The Kind Master And The Dutiful Servant

Hammon is more central to the identity of Huntington than Columbus. His legacy is one we ought to honor and commemorate in our town. He is buried in an unmarked grave somewhere on the Lloyd estate. Let us add to, if not replace, Huntington’s history.
How ought we educate our youth when they question the immorality of historical figures? Ought we to ignore it, or do we learn from the past and change?
It's time for Huntington to show appreciation to all their residents, especially the Black community. Jupiter Hammon is Black history, American history and Huntington History