U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand on Wednesday called for a Senate hearing to consider the bill that would create the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn.
Schumer and former Sen. Hillary Clinton re-introduced legislation in January to create the park and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park Act.
The legislation being advanced by Schumer and Gillibrand, who replaced Clinton when she took over as U.S. secretary of state, will establish national parks in Auburn and Maryland to honor the legacy of Harriet Tubman, who was a key player in the anti-slavery resistance network known as the Underground Railroad.
The bill would bring $11 million to establish the park in the Auburn area and will help preserve and thematically link historic sites from Tubman's later years, where she was active in the suffrage movement and where she established one of the first incorporated homes for aged African Americans.
“Harriet Tubman is a true hero and a source of pride for Auburn and all of central New York,” Schumer said in a news release. “With this legislation, we will be able to transform the Harriet Tubman house into a must-see place for all those interested in American history and Tubman's legacy. ... It is important that we move quickly through the hearing process to help preserve the memory of Harriet Tubman so that future generations will know the great sacrifices that she made for her country.”
In a letter written to the Senate chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Gillibrand and Schumer, along with Maryland Sens. Benjamin Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, said Harriet Tubman was a true American patriot who earned the nation's respect and honor.
“She was someone for whom liberty and freedom were not just concepts. She lived those principles and shared that freedom with hundreds of others,” the letter said.
Gillibrand hopes the bill will allow the state and the country to honor Tubman in the best way possible.
Efforts to recognize the Harriet Tubman Home and the other buildings on the property as a national park have been ongoing since last year.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the hearing had not been scheduled.
The congressional action comes in conjunction with a review process being conducted by the U.S. Department of Interior's National Park Service, which has recommended the establishment of the parks.
The legislation being advanced by Schumer and Gillibrand, who replaced Clinton when she took over as U.S. secretary of state, will establish national parks in Auburn and Maryland to honor the legacy of Harriet Tubman, who was a key player in the anti-slavery resistance network known as the Underground Railroad.
The bill would bring $11 million to establish the park in the Auburn area and will help preserve and thematically link historic sites from Tubman's later years, where she was active in the suffrage movement and where she established one of the first incorporated homes for aged African Americans.
“Harriet Tubman is a true hero and a source of pride for Auburn and all of central New York,” Schumer said in a news release. “With this legislation, we will be able to transform the Harriet Tubman house into a must-see place for all those interested in American history and Tubman's legacy. ... It is important that we move quickly through the hearing process to help preserve the memory of Harriet Tubman so that future generations will know the great sacrifices that she made for her country.”
In a letter written to the Senate chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Gillibrand and Schumer, along with Maryland Sens. Benjamin Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, said Harriet Tubman was a true American patriot who earned the nation's respect and honor.
“She was someone for whom liberty and freedom were not just concepts. She lived those principles and shared that freedom with hundreds of others,” the letter said.
Gillibrand hopes the bill will allow the state and the country to honor Tubman in the best way possible.
Efforts to recognize the Harriet Tubman Home and the other buildings on the property as a national park have been ongoing since last year.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the hearing had not been scheduled.
The congressional action comes in conjunction with a review process being conducted by the U.S. Department of Interior's National Park Service, which has recommended the establishment of the parks.
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