Federal, state, and local laws and practices related to identification cards create and perpetuate substantial racial disparities in access to health care, public benefits, housing, voting, banking, and other key needs and rights.
Arkansas Appleseed is proud to be working with the Appleseed Network and Appleseed Centers in Texas, Kansas, and Louisiana to generate research and policy recommendations regarding access to identification.
Racial disparities occur not only with the accepted uses of each card, but also regarding the documentation required to secure the identification card in the first place.
The report will outline how current identification policies and practices contribute to these racial (and other) disparities, as well as offer suggestions for administrators and policymakers on how to best address these gaps.
This work is especially timely as the REAL ID Act establishes that beginning May 3, 2023, all state-issued IDs must meet specific minimum standards in order to be accepted for official federal purposes.
Stay tuned for the report, and let us know if you have input!
Lifting Up the Work of Others
The origins of this project began in collaboration with IDignity, a nonprofit in central Florida offering identification services. Check out their organization here, as we strive to learn from and apply the work being done in other states.