Woman Born During Segregation Denied REAL ID Due to Lack of Birth Certificate

The REAL ID Roadblock

• 📌 Janette Gantt Palmer, born at home in South Carolina during the Jim Crow era, is facing a roadblock in obtaining a REAL ID driver's license.
• ⚠️ Without a birth certificate, which was never issued at the time of her home birth, the DMV has refused to renew her license.
• 🚗 Palmer, a retired postal worker who has lived in Miami for 55 years and owned a valid Florida driver's license for decades, is now unable to drive.

Challenges in Obtaining Documentation

• 📜 Palmer has attempted to get her birth certificate her entire life, but records from her birth in 1949 are scarce.
• 🔍 The Aiken County, South Carolina Office of Vital Statistics stated that obtaining a delayed birth certificate is a lengthy process, requiring old school records from the 1950s or a court order.
• 📄 Even with documents like her Social Security card and a letter from South Carolina confirming no birth record exists, the DMV requires a birth certificate or passport.

Legislative and Official Assistance

• 🤝 Florida State Representative Ashley Gant, Palmer's niece, has intervened to help secure a 90-day extension for her license.
• ✈️ Palmer is also working with the office of US Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart to obtain a passport, which is another route to meeting REAL ID requirements, though it also necessitates proof of birth.
• ⏳ The deadline for the REAL ID compliance is rapidly approaching, adding urgency to Palmer's situation.