In less than 24 hours, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on President Joe Biden’s $400 billion student loan forgiveness program and consider whether the administration can advance the plan forward. The court agreed to hear two separate cases challenging the legality of Biden’s plan or whether Biden exceeded executive authority. After announcing […]
Joe Biden
Posted inBlack Farmers, Rural Issues
These USDA Programs Want to Advance Equity — but They Don’t Ask for Applicants’ Race
A group of white farmers sued the federal government last year over a $4 billion loan forgiveness program created for farmers of color. The lawsuit stalled payment distribution to Black recipients and pushed the Biden administration to replace the race-conscious program — created to address past discrimination by the USDA — with a race-neutral version. […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How Black Women Fought for Brittney Griner’s Release
As news of WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia broke in early March, Black lesbians, queer women and athletes took the lead in steering advocacy efforts for her release. There were rallies and virtual prayer vigils. There were hashtags and petitions. There were meetings in the nation’s capital and letters to President Joe Biden. […]
Posted inEducation, Student Loans
Student Loan Forgiveness Is On Hold. What’s Next for Black Borrowers?
A Texas judge this month halted President Joe Biden’s landmark student loan relief plan, which aims to forgive up to $20,000 in debt for tens of millions of borrowers. Now, the U.S. Department of Justice is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the judge’s ruling and allow Biden’s debt forgiveness program to move forward. […]
Posted inEducation, Student Loans
What More Student Loan Relief Would Mean for Black Borrowers
The news that Americans will see thousands of dollars wiped from their federal student loan debt has been met with elation by many — but disappointment by others. The Biden administration announced last month that it will forgive $10,000 to $20,000 per borrower, an unprecedented move to ease the nation’s student debt crisis. But those […]
Posted inEducation, Student Loans
Does Biden’s new student debt plan do enough for Black Americans?
President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that the federal government will forgive thousands of dollars in federal student loan debt for each borrower, and will extend the freeze on loan payments through the end of this year. Borrowers who make $125,000 annually or less will see $10,000 in federal student loan debt wiped clean. That […]
Posted inEducation, Student Loans
‘It’s Untenable’: The Unequal Burden of the Student Debt Crisis
The pause on student loan payments is scheduled to end Aug. 31, and millions of Americans are contending with the prospect of another burdensome monthly expense. Dozens of Democratic lawmakers have publicly called for a seventh extension on the payment freeze, and many experts believe that the Biden administration will oblige. But for Black Americans, […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environmental Justice
Can Biden’s New Environmental Justice Leader Make Climate a Public Priority?
Jalonne White-Newsome sees a path towards climate justice despite the seeming “insurmountable barrier” created by a conservative Supreme Court.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Gun Violence
Biden’s policies aren’t the only possible solutions to America’s gun violence epidemic
As the number of mass shootings has surged beyond the number of days in 2022, President Joe Biden addressed the country in a televised primetime speech Thursday to advocate for policy solutions and urge lawmakers to “finally do something” about the nation’s gun violence epidemic. Following the massacres of 10 Black people in New York, […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environmental Justice
Black Advocates Say Biden Is Overpromising and Underdelivering on Climate
A whirlwind of issues has defined Joe Biden’s first 14 months in office: the constant rise and fall of COVID-19 cases and deaths, wavering levels of support for police and prison reform, a generation-defining battle over reproductive rights, and America’s tumultuous role in conflicts in Afghanistan, Palestinian territories, and Ukraine. The administration and media’s focus […]