U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda from Hawaii's 2nd Congressional district

8/23/2024

Congresswoman Jill Tokuda

c/o Office of Congresswoman Jill Tokuda

1005 Longworth HOB

Washington, DC  20515

Dear Congresswoman Tokuda,

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.  Congresswoman Tokuda, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work when you served in the Hawaii Senate including as current Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii’s 2nd district to be very inspiring to me and to explain you you about what it is like having autism with a learning disability including being an Asian American with a disability. 

When you served as Member of the Hawaii Senate from the 24th district from 2006-2018, I truly appreciated on how you were a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, supporting funds for minorities including women businesses to help the compete in the economy, and working with members of the Hawaii state legislature to expand on laws to combat against hate crimes to help protect minorities including people who are different. On people with disabilities’ rights, I liked on how you sponsor legislation to expand funds for behavioral treatment or other health care services to help people with disabilities including people with autism spectrum to get help and heavily support better funds to improve special education to help assist people with disabilities get accommodations they need to learn. On the economy, I liked on how you support funds to expand on jobs training programs to help youth including workers to develop or improve on work skills to help prepare them for the economy and heavily support 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 including gas and  encouraging businesses including housing to use energy efficient products to reduce high energy cost while reduce pollution is common sense to protect the environment.  Congrats on winning the 2022 Hawaii 2nd Congressional district election. In your current role as Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii’s 2nd district, I like on how you are a continuous strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights,  support environmental protection including renewable energy resources to reduce pollution,  heavily support the need for universal health care reform including Medicare for All to help people with pre-exiting conditions or people who can’t afford health insurance get access to health care including medicines, continue to support women’s rights to choose including helping them get better access to health care services, continuing to express the need for better legislation to help people with disabilities including people with autism spectrum get better access to health care, jobs, and better pay or protection from law enforcement that do police brutality or other forms of harassment. Another thing that i like about your work in congress is how you are part of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus to help advocate along with support Asian American communities including Asian American with disabilities’ rights and be a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to help progressives advocate for common sense ideas (civil rights including people with disabilities rights, universal health care reform, environmental protection, and many others). Also I like on how you use your role as an Asian American to help support along with advocate for Asian Americans’ rights including Asian  American with disabilities’ rights and heavily support the need for better funds to help the Asian American community including the Hawaii Pacific Islander community. 

Congresswoman Tokuda, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advanced subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts in different settings (social and environmental), and get teased. Also with my disability, I had face some forms of discrimination in education including getting better access to health care. Your continuous support for people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability and helps give me a voice when both political parties aren’t advocates. In A2 Michigan, I’m a seasonal worker and it is hard to get some benefits for health care and also I volunteer with a small community group in A2 where we feed homeless people including people who are low income get the help they need. Also I enjoy watching you on Youtube and on MSNBC where you talk about the need to help people with disabilities, improve worker’s rights on better access to paid sick or medical leave, and other social justice issues. 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, as a Member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, 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 former Member of the Hawaii Senate, as current Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii’s 2nd district, and as current Member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus helps give me motivation to continue to learn different subjects. 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, and many others. 

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference in public service. I’m very proud on how you work hard to support civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights, protect the environment, help the Asian American community along with the Hawaiian Pacific Islander community, and many others. You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, be confident about being an Asian American with a disability, learn more about your work, and continue to learn different subjects. Even though I don’t live in your district, I truly appreciate your support for people with disabilities’ rights and it means a lot to me all the way from Michigan. Again your support for people with disabilities’ rights helps give me a voice when both political parties aren’t advocates of our rights like mine. I was wondering if you could please take the time to give me some advice about working hard on my disability.  Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. I hope that I can meet you in your Washington DC to discuss more about disabilities’ rights issues including Asian American with disabilities because you inspire me. Please continue to advocate for common sense ideas.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick