The Washington Post, Sept. 20, 2019: Student debt is Hitting African Americans the Hardest. These Experts Have a Plan to Fix It.
The statistics are startling: African American college students borrow more often, owe more money and default more frequently than any other racial group on their education loans.
The racial disparities in student debt are driven by wealth inequality and lackluster funding of institutions that enroll the highest numbers of black college students, according to research.
Concern about the ways in which black students shoulder the burden of student debt has been propelled onto the national stage during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race. Several candidates have called for greater funding of historically black colleges and public universities to reduce the need to borrow, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) has said her debt cancellation proposal would benefit 80% of black borrowers.
It is a time of big ideas and bold plans, but politicians are not the only ones with them. Higher education experts are sharing their own solutions to address the disproportionate impact student debt is having on the black community.
