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“There was an assumption that the student debt problem was concentrated among those at for-profit colleges or predatory programs. Or it was seen as a problem with repayment and not necessarily with debt itself. That has shifted over the last couple of years.”

"White families who did not graduate from high school have the same level of wealth as a black family with a college education. All this has led to a system where black families in particular, but also Latinas, have less wealth to face the challenges when it comes to paying off that debt."

"The ability to pay off your loans has everything to do with wages and the ability to gain secure employment, it has everything to do with housing affordability, it has everything to do with child-care costs."

Eliminating all student debt, per Sanders' plan, would increase the wealth gap between white and black households, according to one 2015 study co-authored by left-leaning think tank Demos.

“Not only are students of color more likely to borrow more for a degree, and borrow in higher amounts for the same degree, but they’re more likely to struggle to repay student loans than white students."

“The gauntlet has been laid. It also reminds us that public policy really does have a role to play. We should take a hard look at why this was needed in the first place.”

A new report from the left-leaning think tank Demos argues that looking at borrowers' income alone provides limited insight into student loan burdens.

“This is a problem that has not gone away but has gotten worse in many communities."

"The bigger problem is that the payoff to a college degree is lower for students of color than it is for white students."

Community college credentials can play a vital role in creating economic security for young adults while at the same time rejuvenating career opportunities.

New York, NY — As President Obama calls for massive increases in Federal college grant aide in the 2011 budget, a new report by the policy center Demos shows how one-and two-year postsecondary degrees are vital tools for moving people into living-wage jobs.

“It’s a lot of debt out there. But that debt and the burden of that debt is not necessarily being felt equally. It’s extremely difficult for borrowers of color in particular."

“There’s a generational fairness issue."

"You can’t talk about student debt without talking about the Great Recession."

“Education is supposed to be the great equalizer in America."

“We have depressed ourselves into a mindset in which $30,000 in debt is acceptable for a degree.”

"We have depressed ourselves into a mindset in which $30,000 in debt is acceptable for a degree."

An analysis of the House's recently introduced College Affordability Act.

Strong Consumer Financial Protection Agency Needed to Regulate Education Loan Products

"Through this bill, the maximum Pell Grant would cover 31% of the total cost of college, so it moves us in a better direction."

"The percent of low-income students borrowing for a bachelor’s degree is unconscionably high, particularly if you consider their debt loads as a percent of their family income and wealth. Even if low-income students and high-income students were borrowing the exact same amount for college, that debt is a far greater burden relative to their family wealth.”