Washington - The Drum Major Institute renewed its call for President Trump to issue an executive order permitting the Social Security Administration to issue social security cards with photos to any citizen who requests one. The President promised to take this step in a meeting with civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King III and the Rev. James A. Forbes prior to his inauguration.

This week we celebrate what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 90th birthday. At the core of Dr. King's work was enabling and promoting all citizens to participate in their democracy whether by organizing, marching or - especially - voting. Many impediments to voting remain. One barrier that can be removed with the stroke of a pen is the lack of photo ID for citizens. All citizens are already entitled to a social security card. Adding a photo, at a citizen's request, would be inexpensive and provide valid ID - not just for voting, but to open bank accounts and travel on planes - to millions of Americans who are potentially disenfranchised for no reason other than the lack of proper identification.