The University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty hosted a webinar Oct. 29. The webinar examined the effects of student loans and how they specifically target Black students and families, welcoming three experts to discuss a variety of effects impacting students.
UNC-Chapel Hill associate professor of public policy Fenaba Addo said that Black students have 85% more debt than white students when leaving college, and — after 10 years post-graduation — Black students have 170% more debt than white students.
“These stark racial disparities in student loan debt accumulation and repayment make it clear that race and racial inequality are central to understanding the student loan debt crisis in the United States,” Addo said. “I want to underscore that student debt is not just an individual burden, but a societal mechanism that is reinforcing and recreating inequality.”…