- 1 year ago
On Thursday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Sen. Seth Moulton (D-MA) held a press briefing on the designation of Salem Maritime to be a national park.
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00:00Thank you so much. Thanks for all of your great work to make this day possible as well.
00:07And thank you to Jennifer Hardin for your work and the wonderful National Park Service staff.
00:18And Congressman Moulton and I are going to try to make sure that your staff is adequate to do the job
00:27under the fiscal pressures that you're working.
00:31And now it is a National Historic Park, which is absolutely great.
00:37And to be here with so many other fantastic partners, City Council President Conrad Przewski,
00:46Councillor Jerslow, Councillor Alice Merkel, Captain Tanya Banks Christensen of the Friendship,
00:54Todd Martin with the National Park Conservation Association.
00:59And of course, thank you to Annie Harris with Essex Heritage for all of your work
01:05to redesignate Salem Maritime and support this site's continued success.
01:11It's great to be here with Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, who is ubiquitous.
01:19Just no matter which part of the state that you're in.
01:24And to Joan Lovely and Manny Cruz, thank you for all of the work that you do at the state level
01:32to make sure that Salem continues to be celebrated in a way that reflects its historic roles
01:39in the history of Massachusetts and the history of our country.
01:42And to my partner in the United States Congress, Seth Moulton.
01:46This is a very important project for us because all of this history is given to us as children.
01:58What happened in Salem?
02:01And it helps to shape who we view ourselves to be.
02:07Children, including myself, began to visit when we were seven or eight or nine or ten.
02:16It's like taking kids to the Museum of Science to teach kids that we're the science state.
02:22Or to Plymouth Rock, although sometimes that can be a little underwhelming when you finally see it.
02:29But Salem, for those of us from the north of Boston, it's always been a big, big part of our history.
02:40So Congressman Moulton and I, we wanted to make sure that we were able to get this legislation passed
02:46and that Salem received the extra designation which it deserves.
02:52Because we stand here today on hallowed ground.
02:55This land, Salem Maritime, bore witness to American slavery, the fight for freedom,
03:01and our powerful maritime history.
03:03It is a memorial to black resistance, liberation, and the struggle for equality that has inspired generations of leaders
03:13in the fight for a livable world and for a more just future for everyone.
03:20Salem's history dates back nearly 400 years, as the mayor said, before this great nation was born.
03:28Many Americans know of the parts of Salem's dark history where personal differences were used to justify subjugating,
03:36enslaving, or killing each other.
03:39Salem's story is also one of resilience, where people figured out how to work together
03:44and to survive in unimaginably tough conditions, both on land and at sea.
03:51It is those parts of our history that we cannot forget in the face of present-day forces telling us to blame our problems on others,
04:03or to look the other way in the face of injustice wherever it occurs.
04:10It is those parts of our history that we can also look to for inspiration,
04:15to those who fought back and left their mark on our nation despite extraordinary odds and opposition.
04:23Salem Maritime allows us to look back through time to see how far we have come to today,
04:31while also seeing what can happen when we build together to build a brighter future for everyone to be included.
04:40The redestination of the Salem Maritime as a National Historic Park will reflect its important role in our nation's history,
04:48preserve its many resources, and help bring more visitors in the future to learn from Salem's past.
04:55This will improve our cultural and historical understanding and bolster Massachusetts' vibrant tourism economy.
05:03In 2023, Salem Maritime contributed $34 million to the Massachusetts economy,
05:10and that will only grow with more visitors to the area.
05:15This redesignation comes just in time as we continue celebrations of America's 250th,
05:23and we approach Salem's 400th anniversary.
05:26So visitors can hear Salem's full story, hear the story of Black Americans, and Dominican Americans,
05:34and Polish immigrants, and working women, and more, along with all of those figures
05:39that have been having the spotlight on them over the last 400 years,
05:46because our past leads us to build a better future for everyone.
05:52It's been my pleasure and honor to work with Congressman Moulton on this project
06:01to shepherd the Salem Maritime National Historic Park designation and boundary study act
06:07from its start to its enactment into law signed by President Donald J. Trump.
06:14Who says bipartisanship is dead?
06:16I know that Essex Heritage and our National Park Service partners
06:22will continue to safeguard these spectacular parts of our history,
06:27and we now must continue this fight to preserve all of the national park system
06:35and give it the resources which it deserves.
06:38So now it's my pleasure to introduce my partner in this great effort,
06:43the Congressman from Salem, Seth Moulton.
06:52Senator, thank you very, very much.
06:54This has been a long partnership to get this done.
06:58You know, in some ways I remember this story starting when I was first running for Congress,
07:04and there was a shutdown at the time, and you were not allowed to work,
07:09and so some of us came and volunteered up at the armory, the mayor remembers this,
07:15right as the Halloween rush was starting to come, and people would come up and say,
07:19well, what should we do? What should we see in Salem?
07:22And I would always say, Salem has this magnificent maritime history.
07:26And they'd look at me with sort of blank stares like,
07:29maybe that's not why we came from Indiana to Salem, Massachusetts.
07:33But that is what Salem should be most proud of.
07:36And that is the story that will be better told because of this legislation here today.
07:42Now when I got elected to Congress, a lot of people wanted my attention,
07:46but Annie Harris was one of the first to actually grab it.
07:50Yes, this bill has been about a decade in the making.
07:54And Annie, you came up to me as a great advocate and amazing volunteer
08:01in that great American tradition of volunteerism to make things like this happen.
08:06And also, by the way, as a really nice neighbor.
08:09So, Annie, thank you so much for always being on the ball.
08:14If we kept statistics of calls from individual constituents,
08:19you'd be high on the list, Annie.
08:22But not to complain. To get things done.
08:25To get things done in a very difficult environment.
08:28Now getting this bill passed actually was, as the senator said,
08:31a bit of story of bipartisanship.
08:34I don't know how much credit our president deserves.
08:38I feel like he might have signed it in a moment of mental delusion,
08:42which seems to be a rather regular occurrence with him these days.
08:45But actually, I got it through committee by a relationship I have
08:52with a Republican across the aisle who actually went to the Yale School of Farsity,
08:56because I know him from our bipartisan workout group.
08:59And so, in a moment of weakness for him, in the middle of push-ups or something,
09:04I said, you know, we really need to get this bill done.
09:07It took a long time, Senator.
09:09So we got it across the finish line.
09:11And I've been very proud to work with you on this effort.
09:15Just a few minutes ago, we got a tour of the Huston House.
09:20And the National Park Service did a wonderful job of sharing some of that history.
09:25And it was amazing to hear about things that are coming back to us today,
09:30like the importance of tariffs in the early days of our republic.
09:35I'm not sure that we need to go back 200 years with our policy today,
09:39but it's interesting to learn about where that came from.
09:42It's interesting to hear about the value of trade and what it made and what it meant to the city of Salem
09:49in all these years and everything that's come from that trade.
09:53Trade that could be very imperiled, in fact, by the new tariff policy.
09:57But most of all, it's important to just hear about the value of history.
10:02This is a time in America where some people want to rewrite history,
10:06to make it tell a story that fits their narrative rather than the truth.
10:11The National Park Service is here to remind us of the truth.
10:15And you do that work every single day.
10:18You have more work on your shoulders as there are fewer of you,
10:21as they take people away.
10:23But those of us who value the truth and want to learn from history
10:27to better influence our future, understand how important we're working.
10:33So, Annie Harris shared just one story that I'll relate from that history.
10:43The House of the House of the House of the House of the Mayor's Construction Company,
10:48or what?
10:49The Mayor's Construction Company.
10:51Annie was telling me as you were walking through the Customs House
10:54how remarkable the work of these early Salem pioneers was.
11:00pioneers of the sea, doing the riskiest job of the day.
11:05And doing it without really knowing what was out there.
11:08Because at the time, the British Admiralty controlled all the charts.
11:13Essentially, the basic charts that we used to navigate around our oceans,
11:17that we just assume are public, were classified during the day.
11:21And they weren't selectively declassified to exonerate certain people in high places.
11:29They were kept highly classified so that people in America could not have the freedom of navigation on the seas that the British had.
11:37And it made the work of these volunteers, these privateers, these early revolutionaries,
11:42all the more difficult, all the more challenging, all the more daring, and all the more important a story to tell.
11:49So, Annie, the National Park Service, all of our elected colleagues, and Senator Markey, who's worked tirelessly with me to shepherd this through both Houses of Congress after several fits and starts.
12:03Thank you so much for bringing us to this day.
12:05But the real story of today is better telling history for our future.
12:10Salem has always been a community that looks forward, and you're helping us do that.
12:16Thank you very much.
12:21And it's now my honor to introduce the very famous and former mayor of Salem, now our Lieutenant Governor, Kim Driscoll.
12:36What a great gathering of local government, local, our mayor of Pangalo, members of the city council, state government, our legislative delegation.
12:43And our federal partners are so important and impressive that we've got everyone here to celebrate what is a really important milestone, not just for this park, but for Salem.
12:54And it's great, obviously, Superintendent, to have you here and to be celebrating a moment that we think will allow many, many more people to enjoy this fabulous, you know, facility.
13:03As the former mayor and someone who certainly has called Salem home for many years, I know how important history is to our community.
13:10And we have a lot of it in Salem.
13:12I think I'm fond of saying we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to history.
13:16And yet this site is the way you can really touch, feel, and shape what happened here.
13:22Think about we have streets and buildings that still exist at a time when the first millionaire in America was walking these very blocks.
13:30It's pretty special, and that's why I think it brings people to this city every year.
13:34And I think it's what residents love about living here, this history that's unique to us.
13:38We can't thank both Senator Markey and Rep Moulton enough for, after real effort by Essex Heritage and Annie, you are a dog on a bone.
13:46You know I feel that way with love and affection.
13:48When you have an issue, you stay on it.
13:50And that's important because this is an important milestone for this park and the ability to knit together the historical significance of not just this site, but what it might mean for others.
13:58The ability to attract the type of funding you need is not easy to keep the friendship going.
14:04It's not easy to have older facilities.
14:06Obviously we have impacts from climate here.
14:08We need to make sure we celebrate these resources.
14:10And by moving from a site to a park, I think it provides those opportunities.
14:14You know, baked into these streets of Salem, there's over four centuries of American history.
14:20Not every place can say that.
14:22And it's what makes us unique.
14:24And I think it's those Salem stories that expand beyond the witch trials, an important part of our history.
14:28A lot of lessons learned there.
14:30But to think about the great age of Salem and 16-year-old sea captains leaving port from Salem, going around the world and coming back.
14:36I can't get my 19-year-old to pick up a wet towel off the floor, but we had young people really leading these efforts.
14:44And it just says something that we're able to enjoy this history today.
14:47And this site, now being a park, ensures that that history is preserved and that more people will be able to enjoy it.
14:52More people will hear those important stories.
14:54None of that will happen without this particular designation.
14:58So it's a win for tourism.
14:59It's a win for our environment.
15:01It's a win for our state's economy.
15:03And so really grateful to be here with all of you to celebrate this milestone and ensure that we not only tell these stories, but we live in a place that celebrates our amazing history.
15:11Thank you so much for making this a reality for us every single day.
15:15I had the good fortune of asking Superintendent Harden to join us.
15:21Last time we were together, it was the 4th of July on a beautiful night celebrating American independence.
15:26And today we're celebrating an amazing milestone for this park.
15:29So please join us, Superintendent Harden.
15:31Thank you so much.
15:37Good morning.
15:39This is a really big day for us.
15:41Salem Maritime has always had a remarkable story to tell.
15:45And with this free designation as the National Historic Park, we're giving it the recognition it deserves.
15:51As the first National Historic Site in the United States, this place, this special place has long held national significance.
16:01And now almost 90 years later, we're stepping into a name that better reflects the full scope of what this park represents.
16:07Yes, maritime history and global trade, but also the many people, cultures, and industries that shaped Salem, shaped New England, and helped to shape this country from its earliest days.
16:21This new designation honors that complexity.
16:25It signals that history is not static.
16:27It expands, it deepens, and it becomes more inclusive as we keep asking questions and listening to more voices.
16:35I want to thank Senator Markey, Congressman Moulton, and the entire Massachusetts delegation for their leadership and vision in making this possible.
16:45You chant them not just a name change, but an invitation to connect more people with this important history.
16:51Thank you also to Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, thank Senator Lovley, Representative Cruz, Mayor Conagallo, Annie Harris, and so many of our state and local partners who have been steadfast in their support for this park over the years.
17:06This redesignation is a reflection of how deeply this community values its past and believes in its future.
17:14And, of course, I want to thank our amazing National Park Service staff, our volunteers, and our nonprofit partners.
17:21Your stewardship makes this place come alive every single day.
17:25What excites me most is what this redesignation opens up for the future.
17:30We'll be able to tell more stories, reach more communities, and ensure that the site continues to evolve as a vibrant, inclusive space for learning, reflection, and inspiration.
17:42This National Historical Park belongs to everyone.
17:46And we're honored, truly honored, to be part of its next chapter.
17:56I'm honored, very honored to introduce State Senator Joan Lovley.
18:02Thank you so much. It's such an honor to be here.
18:08And so much has already been said, but I have to say some really deep thank you to Senator Markby, Congresswoman Moulton, Annie Harris, Essence Heritage.
18:18You know, the friendship is back there because of efforts from Annie Harris way back when.
18:23And I remember when my kids were in school, they were collecting pennies in classrooms.
18:27And, Annie, with your efforts really leading that effort, we have this incredible replica here right in our harbor.
18:34And it really harkens to what this looked like.
18:38And, you know, so when I was actually walking through the Custom House, I, you know, hearing about Nathaniel Hawthorne and his work in the Custom House.
18:48I wasn't always happy about it, but so we heard.
18:52But it just, it almost brought me back there.
18:56What would it have been like to be standing right here and sitting right here at this moment back when this was our, was actually the reality?
19:06Can you imagine what this working waterfront looked like with ships coming and going and bringing their wares in to be counted?
19:14It really was a commerce center, really of the whole Commonwealth, really of the, of the Northeast.
19:21And how lucky we are that it's, it's really right here that we're celebrating its history today.
19:26I want to also thank Lieutenant Governor Driscoll and Superintendent Harden and your staff.
19:32It's really amazing, all the work that you do. Thank you so much.
19:35And, of course, to Mayor Pangalo and the City Council for everything that you do.
19:41And, of course, my partner in crime, Rep Cruz.
19:44I saw a photograph up on the second floor and it was of a naturalization ceremony, right on those steps.
19:52And it just threw me right in. And I said, this is what this is all about.
19:56We welcome our immigrants and we do so every year on the lawn in the House of Seven Gates.
20:01And that's what this, that's what the history of this, of our area, of Salem, but of our country, what it is.
20:08And it all started right here.
20:10So thank you again for everyone who has had an effort to both the Senator and the Congressman
20:15for shepherding that through over a decade.
20:17We know what that looks like.
20:19Sometimes it's not easy, but you persevered and here we are.
20:22So thank you so much.
20:23And now it is my pleasure and honor to represent, to introduce, uh, my, uh, honorable Rep. Manny Cruz, my strong partners.
20:39Good morning.
20:40Good morning.
20:41We're going to do that again.
20:42Good morning.
20:43Good morning.
20:45Much better.
20:46Senator Lovely, thank you so much for that wonderful introduction.
20:48Uh, I'm so lucky to call you my partner on Team Hill.
20:51Uh, we are fortunate to be represented by you and for your leadership at NCSL this past week, where we welcomed over 10,000 people here to our Commonwealth.
20:59Uh, I want to begin by thanking our congressmen and Senator, uh, for the work that they did to turn this historic site into a park.
21:08As a former National Park Service Ranger here at Salem Maritime, I wore the green and gray, uh, and so I know very well the history.
21:17I could have given the tour of the customs house, uh, but I think I'm better suited on the friendship.
21:22And I want to talk about the importance of two kinds of ships, friendship and leadership.
21:27As we think about this designation, the congressman mentioned friendship.
21:32Reaching across the aisle, engaging with someone who may hold different opinions, but finding a way to work together.
21:41Leadership.
21:42Leadership.
21:43The Senator.
21:44You've been at this for a very long time, my friend.
21:46And I've seen your vision for our Commonwealth.
21:49Months ago, we were here celebrating offshore wind, coming to Salem.
21:54Different types of vessels.
21:56Restoring.
21:57Restoring.
21:58Restoring.
21:59Our center.
22:00As a place of leadership and vision for a new sector.
22:04And leadership right now is so critically important.
22:07And as I look out into the audience today, I see that we're joined by future leaders.
22:12Uh, on my staff, I have some of my legislative interns.
22:15James and Jader are here.
22:17My legislative aide.
22:18And then we have the future leaders, uh, from the Essex heritage area.
22:22And when I think about what these young people are witnessing today, a moment 90 years in the making,
22:29I want this to be a reminder to you that even in a moment where it seems like there is uncertainty in our federal government,
22:36that we are finding ways to deliver results for the American people, to support the economy.
22:42Uh, because we know here in the Commonwealth, tourism is the third leading driver of our economic impact here in Massachusetts.
22:48So moments like this, where we can redesignate a park, allow us to elevate not just this site, but Salem's standing in our Commonwealth.
22:57And I'm incredibly humbled.
22:59Uh, I remember giving the tours, uh, of the friendship, welcoming some of those millions of visitors that would make their way here.
23:06So sometimes, yes, learn about what was a little bit more, um, I'll say hysterical versus historical.
23:12Um, but when they made their way here, this became a place of wonder for them.
23:16There's something about the sea, the uncertainty, where these vessels traveled to.
23:21I want to thank the Senator for elevating the fact that this designation allows us to talk about those who are unheralded.
23:28Salem's role in the slave trade.
23:31My ancestors in the Dominican Republic, who were enslaved, bringing sugarcane and molasses aboard vessels, just like friendship, helping Salem build their empire.
23:42And now, in their wildest dreams, one of their descendants stands here, with a United States Senator, a Congressman, our Mayor, as the State Representative, writing laws to make this place more just for all.
23:54So, this moment is amazing, it is incredible for our community, and we will continue to be a place and a beacon for hope, for truth, and justice for all.
24:07I thank you all for being here.
24:09And now I have the distinct pleasure of welcoming a dear friend and an advocate, one of my former bosses, Annie Harris, the President of the Essex National Heritage Area.
24:24Well, I'm delighted to be here, and I'll be very brief.
24:30Essex Heritage has enjoyed a very long partnership, close partnership, with Salem Maritime, with the other parks, Saugus Iron Works, and within the Essex National Heritage Area.
24:42I'm really so pleased to be able to see this celebration of Salem Maritime, and what an important site, as many people have talked about in the history.
24:52Such an important site in history, and this designation is really wonderful for it.
24:58It elevates and brings public recognition to what important stories are here.
25:04I want to, of course, thank very much Senator Markey and Congressman Moulton.
25:10It took you three sessions of Congress to get this bill, and that wasn't all the prep work that was done years before,
25:17but thank you for continuing to reintroduce the bill, and reintroduce the bill, and reintroduce the bill, and reintroduce the bill.
25:23And I'm astounded it happened this year, but it's wonderful. The surprises are, it's just wonderful.
25:28So, thank you so much.
25:30And as you all had mentioned, I'm kind of a dog with the bones, so I will mention one thing.
25:36The legislation has, calls for this redesignation, this name change.
25:41It also requests that the National Park Service do a boundary study.
25:47Look at some of the other resources that are connected to the theme.
25:52Maybe, particularly military history, Fort Lee and Fort Pickering come to mind as, in Salem,
25:59is it'd be wonderful to have them studied more, maybe be included in the park in the future,
26:05but at least elevate their importance.
26:08They date from the 1640s, so it's really important history that's not well known.
26:16Also, the visitor center that the Park Service runs.
26:20It is not within the boundaries.
26:22So, I'm going to hope that, advocate that you could help find the funding to get the Park Service to do the study in the next three years.
26:30That would be really, really helpful as well.
26:33But thank you so much.
26:34Thank you for your persistence.
26:36It's wonderful, so thank you.
26:39That's it.
26:44Is that it?
26:48Are we at the end?