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To honor the contributions African Americans have made to American life and culture, Stanley A. Ransom, of Long Island, New York, proposed Black Poetry Day in 1970. October 17 is the birthdate of Jupiter Hammon, the first African-American poet to publish his own verse. Although it is celebrated all over the state of New York, it has yet to be formally proclaimed a state holiday. Oregon has declared October 17 Black Poetry Day, and schools elsewhere take advantage of the opportunity to encourage African-American students to express their thoughts and feelings through poetry. Discuss