NOW-NJ Joins Let’s Drive NJ Campaign to Expand Access to Driver’s Licenses for More Residents

NEW JERSEY – NOW-NJ is proud to announce our support for the Let’s Drive NJ Campaign. Ours is a state where driving is absolutely essential, and the Let’s Drive NJ campaign is advocating for access to driver’s licenses for New Jersey residents who can prove their residency, identity, and are properly trained and tested.

The purpose of NOW-NJ is to organize and take action with the aim of bringing women into full and equal participation in our county, state, and country. NOW continues to work as an ally in immigrant communities, helping to uplift the voices of women, regardless of immigration status, across all sectors and supporting legislation that protects their rights, while also providing them a clearly defined path to citizenship. Most importantly we are committed to raising awareness about the unique abuses suffered by immigrant women in the political, economic, labor, and social spheres. We recognize that being able to drive serves these missions.

We understand the importance of having a state-issued ID in fully participating in our society, and accessing critical opportunities. For survivors of domestic violence in particular, access to a driver’s license is an essential tool in the very difficult process of establishing independence from one’s abuser. Having access to a driver’s license makes it much more likely that victims of abuse and their families will be able to remove themselves from an abusive environment and reach whatever care and services they need in order to heal and move forward.

We are proud to stand in solidarity with Let’s Drive NJ and its many other supporters in advocating for New Jersey to become the 13th state in the country to affirm and support all of its residents–regardless of immigration status–by advancing this policy in 2018. We all deserve to enjoy safe, healthy lives, and by ensuring that a higher percentage of the drivers on our state’s roads will be properly trained, identifiable, and insured, this expansion of access will serve to make us all safer. There are many other benefits that this legislation would afford all New Jerseyans, and we encourage everyone to visit letsdrivenj.org to learn more.

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