ID's: Exclusion by Design

11% of all American citizens lack an ID, that's over 12 million citizens across the country. Those without ID's are disproportionately from marginalized communities: 18% are elderly, 25% are African Americans, 20% are Latinos, and 18% are individuals making less than $35,000 a year. In 2008, the State of Michigan implemented restrictive policies governing eligibility for a state ID card and driver's licenses, explicitly excluding the undocumented community from the identification system, and reducing the list of available documents individuals can use to prove state residency - negatively impacting the housing insecure, among others. Restrictions were also adopted that prevent those without a government-issued ID from accessing an array of basic resources and services, such as resources for housing, employment, food pantries, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, among other restrictions. This process has converted necessities into privileges. Join us for a virtual discussion examining this issue and local advocacy happening around it, featuring panelists: Keta Cowan, Attorney, Ann Arbor Human Rights Commissioner (HRC), and Chair of the Washtenaw County ID Task Force; Phimmasone Owens, advocate and member of Strangers No Longer, among others TBA.

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