At 52, Betty Ann enrolled in law school. Her white classmates tormented her, shoving her books off tables and laughing when she struggled retrieving them.
Knowing Ann was poor, students would wave tuition checks for thousands of dollars in her face. But this wasn’t even Ann’s biggest concern.
To make ends meet, Ann borrowed $29,000 in federal loans. Today Ann is 91— and she owes $329,309.69 in student debt because interest her loans accrued over time!
Distraught, Ann shared, “I thought the only way that I could change things was to have a higher degree.“
The Biden administration recently promised to forgive anywhere between $10,000-$20,000 of student loan debts dependent on individual borrower eligibility.
To be blunt, this won’t cut it for Black students. Most undergraduate Black students leave with $52,000 in debt, and 4 years after graduation 48% of us owe roughly 12.5% more than what we originally borrowed.
Historically white supremacy denied us education, terrified we’d use knowledge gained to challenge oppressive systems. Now, education is expensive as a means to exclude us — other countries offer free higher education!
Black people should have access to free education AND total loan forgiveness as reparations we’re owed. Like Betty Ann, don’t pay back systems intent on destroying us.