Biden’s new plan to cancel student debt is a major movement victory, but there’s much more to be done for those hardest hit by the crisis.
By Sara Herschander, Waging Nonviolence
Following over a decade of activism against the United States’ massive student debt crisis, President Biden announced a plan on Wednesday to cancel a significant amount of student loan debt for tens of millions of low and middle-income Americans.
Many organizers, whose work made the announcement possible, have viewed the news as a major victory for their movement. However, they also see it as just a small first step in a country where many borrowers — especially Black and Brown borrowers — are saddled with far deeper debts, and the root causes of educational inequity remain largely unaddressed.
“This $10,000 further marginalizes the already most-marginalized,” said Dr. Richelle Brooks, a member of the Debt Collective and founder of ReTHINK It, who currently owes $240,000 in student loan debt. “There are millions of working class people — especially Black women — who won’t see any benefit from this,” she said, emphasizing the announcement’s small impact on those with far larger debts.
Since 2012, the Debt Collective, formed in the aftermath of the Occupy Wall Street movement, has been organizing student debtors, many of whom have embraced debt strikes as a tool and expression of racial and economic justice. Brooks is a member of the Biden Jubilee 100, a group of 100 student debt strikers who’ve declared themselves on strike from ever repaying their student loan balances, and are demanding that Biden cancel all debt.
Recent Posts
Right-Wing Courts May Further Dismantle Health Care Benefits
March 28, 2024
Take Action Now Right-wing federal appeal judges signal they support repeal of the no-cost preventive care mandate, all but guaranteeing a Supreme…
Biden Re-Election Benefits From Dark Money He Says “Erodes Public Trust”
March 28, 2024
Take Action Now Dark money has flooded into outside spending groups pledging support for Biden, including one out of every two dollars to the…
If Supreme Court Restricts Abortion Pills, Birth Control Could Be Next
March 28, 2024
Take Action Now Republicans across the country have blocked Democratic efforts to codify the right to use contraception. By Mike Ludwig, Truthout…
Support For Israel’s War On Gaza Plummeting Among Key Biden Voters: Poll
March 28, 2024
Take Action Now “Given these numbers,” said one progressive campaigner, “I don’t know how President Biden can reconcile his…