Profile in Good: Ivan Parra
Ivan Parra is the Broward Community ID Program Manager at Broward Legal Aid Service of Broward County (LAS). In 2021, the Broward Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution authorizing the issuance of Community IDs to Broward residents. In his position at LAS, Mr. Parra was in charge of developing the implementation of this program.
The Broward Community ID is a document that helps residents identify themselves to law enforcement, schools, banks, health centers, city departments, and social service agencies. This ID is especially useful to formerly incarcerated persons, foster youth, transgender persons, the homeless, new immigrants, refugees, or anyone who might face difficulties obtaining a state-issued ID.
As the Broward Community ID Program Manager, Ivan plans and organizes monthly Community ID events in different areas of Broward County, such as libraries and community centers. In coordination with County Commissioners, community organizations, and selfless volunteers, each of these events serves an average of 140 people.
“I love what I do because I feel I am part of the solution. I am grateful to see people smiling after receiving their Broward County Community ID”.
– Ivan Parra, Broward Community ID Program Manager
Ivan Parra earned a Juris Doctorate with a post-graduate degree in Political Science in Medellin, Colombia from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. He worked for the City of Medellin for 12 years and was a professor of Constitutional Law at 2 Universities in Colombia.
Initially, when Ivan moved with his family to the U.S seeking asylum, he started working in warehouses as he adapted to this new life. Soon Ivan found his passion for workers’ rights as a union organizer for the SEIU Justice for Janitors Campaign. Ivan grew in the immigration reform movement and has since participated with various non-profits, helped create a volunteer-based system that served more than 10,000 people, and is a BIA Accredited Representative with the Florida Immigrant Coalition. Ivan served on the Board of South Florida Voices for Working Families for five years and was nominated to serve on the City of Miami Equal Opportunity Advisory Board.
To learn more about the Broward Community ID Program, visit: browardlegalaid.org/communityid