2024 Missouri ID Access Summit
The Missouri State ID Access Coalition hosted our first annual MO ID Access Summit on September 7th, 2024 at the Deaconess Foundation in STL. We brought together advocates, neighbors, lawyers, service providers, students and more to explore the ID landscape in Missouri. Sessions delved into the basics of ID access and current disparities, advocacy skills, and prepare participants to take action moving forward to ensure all Missourians have the identification documents they need to thrive. Click the button below to view the program, which contains valuable information about the speakers and the Coalition’s work. Below, you’ll find recordings of the sessions along with any materials made available by the speakers.
Session Materials
Welcome and Opening Remarks: Christine Dragonette
Christine Dragonette (she/her) is the Director of Social Ministry at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church. She is from North Carolina and attended UNC-Chapel Hill where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, with an emphasis on poverty analytics. Christine moved to St. Louis in 2012 for a year-long volunteer program before returning to graduate school at Saint Louis University for her Master’s degree in Social Work. Christine first worked at College Church coordinating the ID and Birth Certificate Program during graduate school before moving into her current full time role in 2015.
Summit Keynote:
Kat Calvin
This engaging keynote presentation features Kat Calvin, who will offer an energetic introduction to the history and context of our country’s ID crisis, the work her team has done to combat it directly and systemically, and offer inspiring guidance on the Coalition’s efforts to confront this crisis right here in Missouri.
Kat Calvin (she/her) is the Founder and Executive Director of Spread The Vote + Project ID and the Co-Founder and CEO of the Project ID Action Fund. A lawyer, activist, and social entrepreneur, Kat has built a national organization that has helped more than 11,000 people obtain the IDs they need for jobs, housing, and life and that also allows them to go to the polls. Spread The Vote registers 92% of their eligible clients, taking them from 0 to 40% voter turnout through their voter education program. Through their Vote By Mail in Jail program, they have a 79.4% turnout rate of incarcerated voters.
Kat is currently working towards the passage of the IDs for an Inclusive Democracy Act. Her book American Identity in Crisis was released by Harper Collins in 2023 and details the story of IDs in America, how Kat and her team built a movement across the country, and how we can work together to end the crisis.
IDs for an Inclusive Democracy Act
Check out the ID for an Inclusive Democracy campaign (ID for ID) to push Congress to pass the federal IDs for an Inclusive Democracy Act that will establish a free federal ID for all Americans.
ID Access 101:
Sara Ruiz
ID Access 101 discusses the key systems failures that impact ID access, the harmful impacts of not having an ID, and the unique effects that the lack of identification has in particular communities. This program will review the basics of obtaining an ID, common practices in ID assistance programs, and highlight some potential solutions for long-term change.
Sara Ruiz (she/her) joined the Ashrei Foundation as the inaugural Executive Director in May 2022. Prior to that, Sara served as the Executive Director of the St. Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America (IFCLA) for 6 years, where she was deeply involved in local and nationwide sanctuary efforts, community organizing and advocacy for immigrant rights. Sara was born and raised in St. Louis, and received a Bachelor's degree in Spanish and International Studies from Saint Louis University. She also studied at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she earned a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Studies with an emphasis on the US-Mexico Border.
Movement Advancement Project’s Report
The ID Divide: How Barriers to ID Impact Different Communities and Affect Everyone
Identification Justice for Key Communities Panel
This session will invite the perspectives of Coalition members who work to ensure ID access among specific populations across our state. The panelists will share about their efforts to facilitate access to identification, the barriers faced by individuals with whom they work, and a call to action related to the highlighted communities and populations.
Moderators
Marissa Goldfaden General Counsel and Director of Communications at Project ID + Spread the Vote
Kat Calvin Founder and Executive Director of Spread the Vote + Project ID
Panelist
Sandra Mayen Director of The T
Jolene Patterson Executive Director of the Vital ID Program of East Central Missouri
Adam Bodendieck Senior Director of Homeless Services with Community Partnerships of the Ozarks
Stefanie Moore Director of Reentry Programs at Criminal Justice Ministry
Not present
Dany Lacio Equality Organizer with PROMO Missouri
Building Legislative Advocacy Skills:
Jeanette Mott-Oxford “J-MO” and Jessica Trout
Building statewide power for ID access requires exercising our legislative advocacy muscles! Learn from experienced advocates about the legislative process in Missouri, practice how to talk to legislators, and gain a sneak peak at the 2025 Missouri legislative session.
Jeanette Mott Oxford (ze/zir/zirs) has been an advocate and organizer on human rights issues since 1983. Presently Public Policy and Advocacy Manager at Paraquad, the independent living center for the St. Louis region, Oxford has also been executive director of two statewide not-for-profits focused on social and economic justice. Oxford was State Representative for a St. Louis City district from 2005-12 and graduated from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (B.A., 1986) and from Eden Theological Seminary (M.Div., 1989).
Jessica Trout (she/her) began working in higher education in 2014 at McKendree University as the inaugural staff member in the Center for Community Service. She moved to Saint Louis University in 2017 into a new position in the Center for Social Action focused on advocacy and social change. Prior to her work in higher education, Jessica graduated from Saint Louis University as a first-generation college student with a bachelor's degree in social work and international studies. In 2013, she completed her Master of Social Work degree at Columbia University in New York City, with an emphasis in social policy. During her studies in New York, she worked with Voices of Women Organizing Project, a community-organizing nonprofit working with survivors of domestic violence. After six months in Central America during college, and various trips back to the region, as well as time along the US-Mexico border, Jessica has a passion for immigration policy.
Missouri Foundation for Health
How a Bill Becomes a Law
Voter Access is Power:
Denise Lieberman
Since the passage of Missouri House Bill 1878 in 2022, Missourians are now required to produce non-expired, government-issued photo identification in order to vote. Learn more about the local history and national context of our state’s photo identification laws, as well as the impact on voter access. Leave energized and committed to protecting the right to vote!
Denise Lieberman (she/her) is the director and general counsel of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, a nonpartisan statewide network of advocates who work to protect the right to vote in Missouri. A nationally renowned expert on voting rights, Denise also teaches law and political science at Washington University in St. Louis, has testified before Congress in support of the Voting Rights Act, and has litigated challenges to voting laws in Missouri, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, among others. She previously served as National Director of Power & Democracy at Advancement Project National Office, a racial justice organization, and as a consultant with the Brennan Center. She is the Faculty Director of Voter Access and Engagement in the Center for Social Development.
2024 ID Access Trailblazer Award:
Madeline Powers
In 2024, we are thrilled to introduce the first annual ID Access Trailblazer Award. This award is a small way to recognize and honor the efforts of an individual or an organization whose contributions in pursuit of the Coalition’s mission are exceptional and impactful.
Madeline Powers (she/her) began her time at St. Francis Xavier College Church as a social work practicum student, during which time, among other projects, she created the first version of an ID and birth certificate program guest survey that is now distributed to participants of programs across the state of Missouri in order to better understand the experiences of program guests. After her practicum ended, College Church was grateful to hire Madeline for two years as the Regional Access Coordinator, during which time she served both the College Church direct program and the MO ID Access Coalition. In her role, Madeline trained and supported organizations across Missouri on ID and birth certificate work, built and grew the Coalition’s website and other communications, created research tools that allow us to better understand the impact of direct programs across the state, and played a key role in initiating the Community Leadership Team. Beyond the hard skills and talents she brings, Madeline has brought joy, flexibility, and compassion to this work. While we wish her all the best in her next phase, we will miss her dearly. Thank you, Madeline! Congratulations!
The Soul of the Summit:
Sheree Hickman
Sheree Hickman (she/her) has served in various capacities focused on policy analysis, advocacy, and community outreach. Before her current role as Coordinator of the MO State ID Access Coalition, she worked with the City of Saint Louis as a liaison between residents, local organizations, and city officials to address neighborhood issues. Her experience as a policy advisor to various organizations gave her first hand knowledge on developing strategies to increase organizational advocacy capacity, leading to tangible results. Sheree’s unique ability to bridge people together, coupled with her leadership and strategic collaboration skills, led senators to introduce the bi-partisan Increasing Opportunity for Former Foster Youth Act of 2019. As the first dedicated staff person for the Coalition, Sheree now works to support the effort to eliminate barriers to obtaining state identification. Her work is driven by a commitment to social justice and equity, making state identification accessible to all. Sheree holds both a Master of Social Work and a Master of Social Policy from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
2024 Summit Evaluations
Were you able to join us in person at the summit this year? If so, we need your feedback as we start planning for next year. Please take a moment to complete this quick survey so we can continue to improve and make the next summit even better!