July 4th is more than cookouts and fireworks. It is a day to reflect on the freedoms we have in this nation and to recommit ourselves to being active citizens. In the ultimate embodiment of the Fourth of July, 17 new citizens pledged their allegiance to America in a beautiful Naturalization Ceremony at the Charlotte Museum of History.

What a way to celebrate a day that symbolizes freedom! 

I'm pleased to share that the City of Charlotte has been awarded $5,000,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation for its Making Our Roads SAFER: A Cross-Jurisdictional Study. This project will fund planning activities and examine prevailing transporation issues in our area through extensive community engagement, road safety audits, and GIS analysis.

Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (D-NC-12) is celebrating a series of grant awards by Lowe’s Hometowns, the nonprofit arm of Lowe’s Companies, that will support community-focused projects nationwide for purposes such as affordable housing, community centers, parks and outdoors spaces, and facilities that serve veterans and first responders. Six of these projects are in Charlotte. 

Rep. Adams congratulates the recipients and says: “You can’t be a part of the community if you’re not doing your part to take care of it,” said Rep. Adams of the announcement. “I applaud Lowe’s, a North Carolina company, for stepping up to invest in the community that serves them, by giving back to worthy causes.” 

The Biden-Harris Administration announced funding for 31 Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) to accelerate the growth of innovative industries. The Tech Hubs program will bring innovation to every region of the country, creating new jobs, and ultimately supporting economic development in previously underinvested areas. The program was funded through the bipartisan CHIPS and Science
Act, signed into law by President Biden in August 2022.

Carolinas Innovation Center for Optics and Metrology (CICOM)  Strategy Development Consortium, led by the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, will develop a regional roadmap that develops and applies optics and metrologies technologies to create a sustainable manufacturing framework. This consortium is located in North Carolina and South Carolina.

As co-founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, I am pleased that the White House has taken steps to implement some of its the Administration's Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, a whole-of-government effort to combat maternal mortality and morbidity. Vice President Harris announced some of the Blueprint's key accomplishments this week. 

My staff and I are here to provide assistance with issues or outreach involving a federal agency, just as we did for Ms. Suzan Moore and her family.

Don't hesitate to call, send a message on our website, or visit us at our office in the University Research Park or during our satellite office hours in various locations throughout Mecklenburg County.

Satellite Office Hours:

North Mecklenburg Regional Library

1st and 3rd Tuesday of Each Month from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

2nd and 4th Thursday of Each Month from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Cabarrus County Government Center
1st and 3rd Wednesday of Each Month from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

That's where I will lay my hat this week. 

God Bless,