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Two Students in College Graduation Cap and Gown with Dollar Signs on the Cap

Yes, Student Debt Cancellation Would be a Big Deal

An executive action for student debt cancellation would provide much needed economic relief to millions of Black and Latinx families in order to avoid financial catastrophe during the continuing global pandemic.
Blog
November 19, 2020
Mark Huelsman
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Two Students in College Graduation Cap and Gown with Dollar Signs on the Cap

Yes, Student Debt Cancellation Would be a Big Deal

An executive action for student debt cancellation would provide much needed economic relief to millions of Black and Latinx families in order to avoid financial catastrophe during the continuing global pandemic.
Blog
Mark Huelsman
Black Family Around the Table Paying Bills

How Biden’s Plan for a Public Credit Registry Will Build Economic Power for Black and Brown Communities

Credit reports and scores control access to public goods people need. Yet, in the midst of a global pandemic and economic collapse, remaking the nation’s credit reporting system is not the top concern. 
Blog
Amy Traub
Win

Statement From Demos President K. Sabeel Rahman

For what feels like the first time in years, we can pause for the briefest of moments and breathe.
Press release
K. Sabeel Rahman

Diverse donor network puts conditions on its cash

Top donors remain largely white and male, according to data from the progressive think tank Demos.
In the media
Maya King

‘You have a degree, but who do you know?’ Why student debt is a racial-justice issue

Twelve years after starting college, white men have paid off 44% of their student loan balances on average, while black men saw their balances grow by 11%, according to an analysis from Demos.
In the media
Jillian Berman
Black, brown, and white protestors knee with their heads down and their fists in the air

Uprising

The ongoing devaluing of Black life that’s now on full display forces us to confront America’s racist origins and to uproot our systems of racial violence, economic subordination, and hoarding of political power.
Blog
K. Sabeel Rahman

‘Higher education essentially preserves intergenerational racial and class inequality’: How coronavirus could make it worse

“The inequality between the haves and the have-nots is going to grow even more.”
In the media
Jillian Berman

Research says that white women will reach pay equality by the year 2055. Black women won't get there until 2119.

Twelve years after starting college, the white female borrower has paid off 72% of her loan balance. Over the same time period, the typical Black female borrower's balance has grown by 13%.
In the media
Dayana Yochim

Black People Are Tired Of Inaction Against Police Brutality. They’re Watching Biden To See If He’ll Turn The Tide.

"Many of these folks are asking what is the point of voting since politicians all seem to perpetuate a broken system. We need them to see voting as meaningful, and for them to see voting as meaningful they need to, I think, have a real choice."
In the media
Nidhi Prakash
Ryan Brooks
George Floyd

Leading National Civil Rights and Racial Justice Organizations Denounce Murder of George Floyd, Call for Impartial Investigation of Officers Involved

This epidemic of racialized violence must stop, and it must stop now.
Press release
Black worker putting on mask with people waiting in the background

Back to Work or Else? Risky Reopening Policies Put Black and Brown Workers in Danger

We're all seeing systematic efforts to shift the economic and health risks of the pandemic from governments and employers and onto the backs of disproportionately Black and brown workers.
Blog
Amy Traub
"Vote Here" sign in the grass in front of a polling station

Native American Tribes and Voting Rights Group Notify South Dakota Agencies of Serious Voter Registration Violations

Tribes and Group call on South Dakota Public Assistance Agencies and Motor Vehicle Offices to Ensure Compliance with the National Voter Registration Act
Press release

Your credit score shouldn't drop because of coronavirus

Private credit reporting companies should be replaced by a publicly run credit registry that operates in the public interest and that automatically corrects for events like natural disasters and global health crises.
In the media
Amy Traub