Friend,

Of all the things my dad taught me before he passed away, to this day the most important lesson has always been: education saves lives. If you have a moment, I’d like to tell you a story about my father, John King Sr., who served as New York City's first Black deputy superintendent. Or if you aren’t able to read this right now, I hope you’ll consider pitching in a contribution to support our campaign: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/king_siri_em

When I was very young, my dad would always tell me about a time early in his teaching career when he broke his wrist playing in a basketball game on a weekend. On the following Monday, when he came in to teach his class, the school principal told him to go home because there was some sort of rule that you couldn’t teach with a cast on.

My father calmly went over to the counter in the main office, smashed the cast on the counter, brushed the pieces in the trash, put his hand in his pocket, and continued to teach his class. Broken wrist or not, my dad wasn’t going to let his students miss a single day of learning on his account. 

Whenever someone in our family said something was too hard or too difficult, my dad would tell that story. For him, the most important thing he could do that day and any day thereafter was to be in his classroom with his students.

It’s the passion and belief in students of educators like my dad that inspired me to become a teacher myself. Education saves lives because of those who provide it, and when I had the privilege to serve as  U.S. Secretary of Education under President Obama, I worked hard to ensure teachers, education support professionals, and everyone who makes education possible got the recognition they deserve.

Now, I continue to look up to my dad and all the amazing educators in my life as inspiration for this campaign for governor. But I can’t win this race without your support, friend. Please, can I count on you to donate $5 to our grassroots movement to bring real progress to Maryland?

I’m respectfully asking you to join scores of teachers, public school parents, and education leaders who agree it’s time for a teacher in the governor’s mansion. I know that together, we can create lasting and positive change.

With gratitude,

John King