Dear Mr. Lincoln

Dear Mr. Lincoln,

My name is Tim Wozny and I hope that this letter gets to you before the other one does. You see I've been watching the news these last few days and it appears that a young fictional colored man wrote you in hopes of getting you to admit freeing the slaves was wrong. He's pissed that after thinking abou it, maybe slavery wasn't so bad. I believe he states that he did not have to think, he got 3 hots and a cot and life was probably good.

Well Mr. Lincoln allow me to thank you for what you did. You see I grew up in a good size town that sat about 25 miles south of Chicago. The day I started school there was 4 colored kids in my class and as I went from 3rd grade on to high school that number fluctuated. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed their company. One of them, his name is Tony, was one of my good friends and we played basketball together for years both on the playground and in the gym. He was a hell of alot better then me, not cause he was colored, but because he practiced all the time...I chased girls in my spare time.

My kids are now going into school and just like me they live about 20 miles outside a large city, Toledo. I'm confident they are going to meet some terrific people in their school "career" and I'm sure they are going to all be of different backgrounds, and yes, color! My plan is to make sure they know that what happened many many years ago was unfortunate BUT because of a wise man was vindicated. That wise man is you sir.

It's unfortunate and I hate to have to report this but it appears that we still have issues today with whites and coloreds and anyone else that does not see eye to eye. My hope is to work hard to continue on with the vision you had many years ago. My kids will carry on this hope and in turn so will their kids. One day, just one day I hope all this ridiculous letter writing will stop. Had the "guy" that wrote the letter had the guts, like you sir, to go visit with the people he was upset with rather then hide behind a "letter" maybe I wouldn't have to be writing you today.

Yours truly
Tim Wozny