New post from the NAACP: Addressing the Black Student Debt Crisis by Austyn Ross

Baltimore, MD (September 21, 2020) – The NAACP will host a Virtual press conference on Monday, September 28 at 2 pm ET / 11 am PT. The student debt crisis has had a disproportionate impact on Black borrowers and their families. Across all racial groups, Black borrowers hold the most student loan debt despite also being consistently underserved by postsecondary institutions. Many Black students enter college with considerably fewer financial resources for equitable student experiences in addition to navigating various forms of racial and educational violence on campus followed by navigating an unequal labor market. Participants will discuss the serious interventions needed including the cancelation of current student debt as well as providing pathways to significantly reduce if not also eliminate potential debt traps for Black students in the future.

Participants will have the opportunity to hear remarks from Tiffany Dena Loftin, National Director at NAACP Youth and College Division ; Dr. Katherine Wheatle, Strategy Officer for Federal Policy and Equity at Lumina Foundation; Dr. Charles H.F Davis III, Assistant Professor of Higher Education at University of Michigan; Dr. Jalil Mustaffa Bishop, Vice Provost Postdoctoral Scholar and Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education; Keron Blair, Executive Director at Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools; Russell Boyd II, National Field Organizer at NAACP Youth and College Division; Josh Thompson, President, Alabama Youth & College State Conference

Media interested in covering this event can contact NAACP Public Relations Specialist Austyn Ross at aross@naacpnet.org. RSVP NOW.

WHAT: Virtual Press Conference: Addressing the Black Student Debt Crisis

WHERE: Zoom

WHEN: Monday, September 28 at 2 pm ET / 11 am PT.

WHO:

• Tiffany Dena Loftin, NAACP Youth and College Director
• Katherine Wheatle, Strategy Officer for Federal Policy and Equity at Lumina Foundation
• Charles H.F Davis III, Assistant Professor of Higher Education at University of Michigan
• Jalil Mustaffa Bishop, Vice Provost Postdoctoral Scholar and Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
• Keron Blair, Executive Director at Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools
• Russell Boyd II, National Field Organizer at NAACP Youth and College Division
• Josh Thompson, Alabama Youth & College State Conference President

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 Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but separated in 1957 to become a completely separate entity. It is recognized as the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization, and shares our commitment to equal rights.

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