Photo by Ketut Subiyanto
The recent announcement by President Joe Biden’s administration to cancel nearly $5 billion in student loan debt for over 70,000 borrowers, particularly those from marginalized communities, has ignited a debate within Black America about the nature of this act and its implications. While the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) asserts that canceling student loan debt for Black borrowers is a form of reparations, other voices within the community argue otherwise.
The NAACP, along with 67 other organizations, penned a letter urging Biden to fulfill his promise of providing relief to borrowers experiencing hardship, particularly borrowers of color. They argue that canceling student debt for Black borrowers is a necessary step to rectify historic economic injustices and bridge the systemic racial wealth gap, Yahoo reported.
A day later on Jan. 19, Biden announced that nearly $5 billion in student loan debt would be erased for more than 70,000 borrowers, many of them teachers, social workers, and others who qualify for income-driven repayment plans.
“Reparations can take the form of various economic initiatives, such as canceling student debt, providing access to capital for revitalization in historically redlined communities, offering tax benefits for Black businesses, and providing fiscal payments tied to slavery in America,” Keisha Deonarine, the NAACP’s director of opportunity, race and justice, told Yahoo.
But not all agree. And Black Twitter spoke out.
JezusGorl tweeted that student loan relief is not reparations, posting, “This is not reparations. @NAACP pls stop making stuff up. There are five forms of reparations based on intl law. 1) Restitution 2) Compensation 3) Rehabilitation 4) Satisfaction 5) Guarantees of non repetition.”
Native Son called out the NNACP, tweeting, “The NAACP is ALL FORMS of lying! Canceling student loan debt for Black borrowers is a form of reparations, says the NAACP. “He added the link to the Yahoo article.
Mingz ADOS as fucc stressed to the authors of the Yahoo article that the NAACP does not speak for all reparations movement, tweeting, “@NAACP Does not speak for ADOS ppl.”
Michael R Hicks a/k/a Mza The Watcher tweeted, “It’s not. It’s debt relief for a slice of Black Americans. It doesn’t come close to help the masses of Black Americans.”
DAP/ADOS TRIBE pointed out, “If student loan debt forgiveness is a form of reparations, that means all groups are receiving reparations and not just those whose ancestors were enslaved in the United States.”
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-black-crew-neck-t-shirt-with-arms-crossed-4584267/
