City Council Member Hwa Jeong Kim for Ward 5 of Saint Paul, Minnesota

3/14/2024

City Council Member Hwa Jeong Kim

c/o Office of City Council Member Hwa Jeong Kim

City Hall, Room 320-A

15 Kellogg Blvd. West

Saint Paul, MN  55102

Dear City Council Member Jeong Kim,

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. City Council Member Jeong Kim, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as current City Council Member for Ward 5 of Saint Paul Minnesota to be very inspiring to me. 

In January 2024, I was amazed on how you made history on becoming the first Korean American woman to be elected to serve on the Saint Paul City Council. In your current role as City Council Member for Ward 5 of Saint Paul Minnesota, I truly appreciate on how you are a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, working with members of Saint Paul city council members to expand on laws to combat against hate crimes to help protect minorities including people who are different, and supporting funds for women including minorities businesses to help them compete in the economy. On the economy,  I like on how you are supporting expansions of job training programs to help train youth including workers to develop or improve on job skills to help them prepare for the work force, advocate for an increase in the minimum wage to help assist minimum wage workers afford to live, and express the need for funds to help small businesses including minorities businesses that were impacted by the pandemic. Supporting funds for renewable energy resources to reduce addiction to oil including gas, encouraging businesses including housing to use energy efficient products to reduce high energy cost while reduce pollution, working to expand funds to improve city services to help clean parks including water resources to make them safe for people to use.  On social justice, I like on how you are working on pushing for affordable housing while work to expand on tenant’s rights to help people who can’t afford to live have housing, expanding programs including services to help people who are homeless or people who are low income get food or other essential supplies, work on providing expansions of funds to improve mental health services to assist people who struggle with mental health or have a mental illness. Also on education, I like on how you support funding special education to improve accommodations for students with disabilities to learn and provide tutoring services to help students get help on their assignments from tutors. Another thing that I like about your work in the Saint Paul Minnesota city council is how you are advocating while supporting the idea for social workers to be on with law enforcement when dealing with calls to help reduce a situation, provide funds for Asian American communities to help repair them, and  heavily advocate for auditing of spending or government services to make sure http the money isn’t being abused or wasted or fraud while spending to help improve society. 

City Council Member Jeong Kim, 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 when some Asians including some Asian American tease me or get judgmental about not meeting their standards.   Your role as an Asian American role model on supporting Asian American with disabilities’ rights gives me some confidence about being an Asian American when I face challenges. I enjoy watching you on Youtube talking about social justice, criminal justice reform, environmental protection, and many others.  Your role as current City Council Member for Ward 5 of Saint Paul Minnesota helps give 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 for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution,  expand on social justice to improve on communities. 

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference for society. I’m very proud on how you are working hard to support civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights, protect the environment, advocate while expand on social justice, and many others.  You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, be confident about being an Asian American with a disability, learn about your work, and continue to learn different subjects. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. If I visit Saint Paul Minnesota I would like to meet with you in person because you inspire me. Please continue to make a great impact on society.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick