Testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Rep.

Dan Maffei June 6, 2013 As Prepared for Delivery: Thank you Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee for the opportunity to testify today on this important legislation. I am proud to be the sponsor of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks Act, H.R. 664. The bill would honor Harriet Tubman by creating two national historical parks in her honor: one on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where she was born and began the Underground Railroad; and one in Auburn, New York, where she made her home for more than forty years before her death in 1913. These sites have been proposed and endorsed by the National Parks Service and outlined in a Special Resource Study transmitted to Congress in January 2009. The legacy Harriet Tubman left is one of Americas lasting treasures and we should honor her as the first African-American woman to have national park established in her honor. Her life and her work embody the values all Americans hold dear she stood for freedom, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. She was born a slave in Dorchester County on Marylands Eastern Shore in 1822 and worked there as a slave until 1849. At age 27 she escaped from slavery and fled north. She returned to Maryland many times to lead others out of slavery, navigating the secret path to freedom known as the Underground Railroad. As a prominent conductor of the Underground Railroad, she became known as the Moses of Her People and never lost a passenger in all her years of work leading people to freedom. During the Civil War she served our country as a cook, a nurse, and a spy for the Union Army. Following the war, she settled in Central New York and fought for womens rights as a suffragist alongside Susan B. Anthony and Emily Howland. She made her home in Auburn, New York, where she purchased property from William Seward, President Lincolns Secretary of State, a friend and neighbor. There she established the Tubman Home for the Aged to help care for elderly African-Americans and helped establish the Thompson Memorial AME Zion Church.
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Since Tubmans death 100 years ago in 1913, her gravesite in Auburn has become a place of pilgrimage for thousands of people who want to honor Harriet Tubman and the legendary role she played in our American history and culture. The Maryland site, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, will include the likely birthplace of Harriet Tubman; the home site of Jacob Jackson, an associate of Tubman whose home was one of the first stops on the Underground Railroad; the Brodess Farm, where Tubman was sent as a child to be trained as a seamstress and worked as a slave; and other important sites. It encompasses the land she navigated while helping escaped slaves travel north. But, establishing this park is not just about our nations history and the past. It is also about the present and our future, particularly our economic future in Central New York. This new park would be a significant piece of an emerging tourist region with both historical and natural attractions. In fact, data from similar national parks indicates that annual attendance could increase as much as 20,000 new visitors per year driving millions of dollars in new revenue to businesses in the region and creating new jobs. The tourism industry currently provides over $350 of tax relief annually to every household in Cayuga County where the proposed park is located. Officials estimate the National Park would create dozens of new jobs and drive over millions of dollars of new tourism spending to the region annually. That is a big part of the reason why the bill is strongly supported by both communities; in Auburn, New York and on the Eastern Shore in Maryland. The governors of both New York and Maryland also strongly support the legislation. State and local officials in both states also strongly support this effort. I have here copies of local newspaper opinion editorials from the Syracuse Post Standard and the Auburn Citizen that I would like to submit for the record. The bill has also been endorsed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Organization for Women (NOW), the National Urban League (NUL), the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), and the National Parks Conservation Association. The bill currently has 64 bipartisan cosponsors from Maryland, New York and elsewhere in the nation.

All 27 Members of New Yorks congressional delegation, Democrat and Republican, have signed on as cosponsors. This is not the first time this bill has been introduced. This marks the 13th year and the 8th Congress that Members from New York and Maryland have pushed this initiative forward. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Amo Houghton (R-NY) first introduced legislation to start the Special Resource Study in 2000, which was released in 2009 showing extensive public support. Legislation creating these two national historical parks was first introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY) five years ago. However, this year is unique as March 10, 2013 marked the 100th anniversary of Harriet Tubmans death. It is also a time when middle class Americans continue to bear the brunt of weak economy and a recovering job market. We must work together to preserve Harriet Tubmans legacy, protect the historical sites that tell her story, and promote our economic future. As the sponsor of this important legislation, I appreciate that you have convened this hearing and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the subcommittee to strengthen this legislation and address any concerns you may have. As this year marks the 100th anniversary of her death, I urge the Committee to support swift passage of the bill this year, so we can honor Harriet Tubmans rightful place in American history as an abolitionist, a suffragist, and the conductor of the Underground Railroad.

Thank you.