Former Mayor Kurt Schmoke of Baltimore, Maryland

10/18/2016

President Kurt L. Schmoke

c/o Office of the President

University of Baltimore

1420 North Charles Street

Baltimore, MD  21201-5779

Dear President Schmoke,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history including public policy.  In these subjects, I like to learn the need to advance on Civil Rights to help protect people who are different from being discriminated, protect the environment from pollution, find ways to help people who are low-income get the help they need, and many others.  President Schmoke, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is because I find your work as 46^th Mayor of Baltimore to be very inspiring to me.

In December 1987, I liked on how you made history by becoming the first elected African-American to become Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland.  When you served as 46^th Mayor of Baltimore, I am very proud on how you are a strong supporter of making Civil Rights stronger to help protect women, minorities, and people with disabilities from being discriminated in education, jobs, and public places.  Also on Civil Rights, I liked on how you advocated for people with disabilities’ rights, expressed the need to expand women’s rights to health care with protection from being discriminated, worked with minorities communities including African American communities to help them get the funding they need to help their community along with improve race relations, and pushed funds for women including minorities businesses to help them compete in the economy.  Pushing for funds to clean up parks including water resources to help reduce pollution along with make them safe for people to use, expanding renewable energy projects to help reduce addiction to oil with gas, and encouraging businesses along with industries to use energy efficient products to help reduce high energy cost are great ways to protect the environment.   Push for job-training programs to help youth including workers develop job-skills to help prepare them for the economy and expand funding for low-income housing projects to help provide people who are homeless or people who are low-income get shelter is common sense to improve the economy while helping people who are low-income.   To improve education, I liked on how you pushed for funding special education to help students with disabilities get educational resources that they need, expanded on funding for arts including diversity classes to help make education diverse, and promoted on literacy programs to help youth including adults who are illiterate improve on their reading skills.  Your commitment to reform War on Drugs like expand on education to help address the need to reduce drug addiction, push for treatment programs to help rehabilitate drug-users get the care they need, treat drug addiction as a public health, and propose a fine for when a person is carrying a small amount of a drug are great ideas for reform. After you left your role as Mayor of Baltimore, I am very proud on how you continue to advocate for people with disabilities’ rights, express the need to make Civil Rights stronger, the need to end racial profiling in the criminal justice system, make education a better place for learning, and many others.

President Schmoke, I have Autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased.  Your commitment to be a strong supporter of Civil Rights and be an advocate for disabilities’ rights really inspire me to work hard on my disability.  Your work as 46^th Mayor of Baltimore motivates me to continue my interest in learning history including public policy.  Also your commitment to make social justice a better place and reforming the War on Drugs got me really interested in watching documentaries about the need to reform social justice, reading articles along with listening to NPR or Bill Moyers about the need for reform to make society better.  My future goal is to someday work in public policy to help create common sense ideas to make society a better place.

President Schmoke, I strongly believe that you that you made a great difference as Mayor of Baltimore.  I’m very proud on how you worked hard to make great achievements when there were challenges. Here is a picture of me as a gift to you for inspiring me.   You have truly inspired me to work hard on my disability, continue my interest in learning history, and understand the need to make social justice a better place.  Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, making great achievements, and inspiring me.  I wish you well in you current role as President of University of Baltimore and to continue to advocate for common sense ideas to make society a better place.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick