72nd Secretary of State Susan Lee of Maryland

 

5/02/2025

Secretary Susan C. Lee

c/o Maryland Secretary of State

16 Francis Street

Annapolis, MD  21401

Dear Secretary Lee,

My name is Matt Winick, an Asian American from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history including social justice.  In these subjects, I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, expand on social justice to improve communities, and many others. Secretary Lee, the main reason why I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as when you served in the Maryland state legislature and as current 72nd Secretary of State of Maryland to be very inspiring to me. 

When you served as Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 16th district from 2002-2015 and as State Senator from Maryland 16th District from  2015-2023, I truly appreciated on how you are a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, supporting women including minorities businesses to help them compete in the economy,  and working with other members of  Maryland State Senate to expand on laws to combat against hate crime to help protect minorities including people who are different. On the economy, I liked on how you support expansion of jobs training programs to help train youth including workers to develop or improve on work skills to help them prepare for the work force, worked with other members of Maryland State Senate to provide funds to local businesses including small businesses along with restaurants to help them survive financially during the pandemic while provide safety tools to them, and heavily advocate for the need to raise the minimum wage to help assist minimum wage workers afford to live.  Supporting funds for renewable energy resources to help reduce addiction to oil with gas, encouraging businesses including industries to use energy efficient products to help reduce high energy cost while reduce pollution, and providing funds to improve city services including government services to help clean parks including water resources to make them safe for people to use is common sense to help protect the environment.  On education, I really like on how you support funds to expand on special education to help students with disabilities to get accommodations they need to learn,  work on providing laptops to students who come from low income families to help them get access to remote learning due to the pandemic, and push for more tutoring services to assist students on learning assignments or other school work.  Another thing that I like about your work in the Maryland State Senate is how you support funds for non profit organizations to help people who are low income or who are homeless or people who struggle during the covid-19 pandemic get food or other essential services, and heavily express the need for ethics laws to reduce police misconduct or unreasonable police brutality like police cameras including allowing social workers to attend emergency calls. In your current role as 72nd Secretary of State of Maryland, I like on how you are a continuous strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights, expanding on better access to absentee ballots to help people be able to vote early when they can’t make it to polling stations on election day or if people with disabilities can’t get access to the voting precincts, and expand on voter’s rights to help protect people including minorities along with people with disabilities from losing their right to vote. 

Secretary Lee, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased.  Your commitment to be a strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability.  Also being an Asian American with a disability is difficult for me due to some Asians including some Asian Americans get judgmental about me having disability and how they believe that I don’t meet their standards.  Your role as an Asian American and supporting along with advocating for Asian American with disabilities’ rights helps give me some confidence about being an Asian American when I face different challenges. Your  role  as a former Maryland state legislature and as current 72nd Secretary of State of Maryland gives me motivation to gives me motivation to continue to learn history including social justice. My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need to make civil rights stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, improve social justice to make communities a better place, and many others. My letter is a gift to you for inspiring me and for Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month to help recognize Asian American individuals who work hard to make a great difference.

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference in society.  I’m very proud on how you are working hard to support civil rights, protect the environment, find ways to advocate along with improve social justice, and many others. You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, learn more about your work, try to be confident about being an Asian American when there are challenges, and be motivated to continue to learn different subjects. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. Please continue to advocate along with push for common sense ideas.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick