NYC Municipal ID Cards Will Allow Access To Cultural Institutions Citywide
NYC Municipal ID Cards Will Allow Access To Cultural Institutions Citywide
To prevent the cards from being viewed as something only owned by undocumented immigrants, the city is adding incentives so all New Yorkers will want one.
Next year, New Yorkers will be able to get Municipal ID cards. They'll help people without a driver's license do things that require identification, like opening a bank account. But according to Mayor de Blasio, they'll come with some additional perks.
The cards will allow one year of free access to some of the city's signature cultural institutions.
"We are not an elitist city," de Blasio said at the Bronx Zoo on Thursday. "We're not a city that wants to see great art and music and dance available only to the few."
Altogether, New Yorkers who sign up for a municipal ID will get access to 33 cultural institutions in all five boroughs, like the Bronx Zoo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito said visiting museums will help New Yorkers expand their horizons.
"In a city as diverse as New York City," she said, "it does really help instill acceptance, understanding, and collaboration. And that's the kind of city we want to live in."
John Cavelli, Executive Vice President of the Wildlife Conservation Society, said the city's zoos can help teach kids the importance of protecting their environment.
"We're helping to educate the next generation of leaders," said Cavelli, "so that they have a responsibility to help save the world."
"We have to be global leaders," he said.
