December 27, 2007

A Word from Zach Wamp

Moving Forward

It is a privilege to work on many issues as your representative that effect the quality of life and economic opportunities in Tennessee and those that have a national impact. There are two major milestones – one at home and one in Washington – to report on as we close out the year and move forward.

The Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) organization has helped showcase the region’s superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century. The Tennessee Valley Corridor is one of the premier science and technology “hot spots” and is leading the way on providing solutions to many of the problems facing our nation and our region.

Without question, the transportation systems of the future will be built in large part in the southeastern United States. That’s why I continue to work with the TVC organization to develop a technology-based manufacturing economy in the South. For the very first time, we took the TVC organization outside of the Tennessee Valley to Greenville, South Carolina, this fall to a joint meeting on the future of advanced transportation and our southeast partnerships on homeland security.

While this effort may have stretched some of our sponsors and major institutions in the Tennessee Valley out of their comfort zone, it was an excellent session held principally at the International Center of Automotive Research (ICAR) partnership between BMW and Clemson University. The research and work already being done by South Carolina partners in advanced transportation has really impressed us in the Tennessee Valley.

From the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to the Savannah River National Laboratory or Clemson University to the University of Tennessee, these partnerships will provide the cutting-edge research necessary for our region to finding new ways to help lessen our dependence on foreign oil and to develop the automotive technologies and alternative fuels so important to our future. Southerners tend to be very proud of where we come from, and we continue to prove through regional cooperation and perseverance year after year that we are determined to prosper economically, compete globally and lead the United States to even greater leadership in manufacturing and technology.

And the second major milestone has great personal meaning to me, and is significant to many Americans around the nation. As we closed out this session of Congress, we succeeded in an effort to honor the slaves that built the U.S. Capitol and bring the Congress together emotionally by naming the largest public room in the new Capitol Visitors Center “Emancipation Hall.”

In August, I introduced legislation to name this great hall Emancipation Hall because what we name important places and spaces says a lot about who we are and what we have learned. This will be the largest room in the Capitol and will ensure that future generations of Americans will think about the process of freedom. It is really the right thing to do and the right time in history.

My bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly in November and then a companion bill introduced by Senators Mary Landrieu and Barack Obama passed the U.S. Senate earlier this month. The President of the United States signed this legislation into law in December. We have Independence Hall, Freedom Hall and now Emancipation Hall to honor movements, processes and principles throughout our nation’s history.

Changing the name to Emancipation Hall will memorialize the country’s struggle against slavery. The hundreds of people who were never mentioned in any formal way in the storied history of the Capitol, will be forever honored as we refer to the great hall as Emancipation Hall, liberating us all from the shackles of the past and lifting our spirits during this most important season of peace and good will to all.