Activism

Feds, State Take Steps to Ease Burden on Some Student Loan Borrowers

According to a report by California Student Loan and Debt Service Review Workgroup (CSLDSRW) — established under the state’s Budget Act of 2020 — and the National Center for Education Statistic (NCES), 84.9% of Blacks who earned bachelor’s degrees from 2015 to 2016 owed an average of $34,000 upon graduation.

Published

4 years ago

December 26, 2021

Oakland Post

Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley speaking about cancellation of student debt Dec 5, 2021. Photo courtesy of California Black Media.

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Lillian Lewis earned multiple degrees from California State University Sacramento.

Before the pandemic began, Lewis said, paying down the high student loan debt she accrued to cover her tuition and living expenses while in school put a strain on her monthly budget. Those arrears (“in the thousands”) with growing interest made it difficult for her to make ends meet.

But last month, Lewis and about 30,000 other American student loan borrowers across the United States received some unanticipated good news. The Biden administration announced a $2 billion relief program that expanded the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

“It took a huge load off my finances and will improve my credit, which was not bad anyway,” said Lewis, who does social work and now lives in Las Vegas. “It was taking forever to pay off. Now, I don’t have to worry anymore.”

PSLF wipes out student loan debt for borrowers who commit to public service careers or work full time for public or nonprofit organizations.

The relief program launched about three months before the federal government lifts a freeze on student loan payments on Jan. 31, 2022. In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the country, the feds paused monthly payments for Americans who owe student loans, stopped all collection activity, and applied a temporary zero-interest rate to all debt.

In California, there are thousands of African Americans like Lewis: saddled with huge balances stemming from loans they took out to pay for tuition not covered by scholarships, living arrangements, textbooks, and other expenses.

In November, highlighting one borrower’s story, United States Education Secretary Miguel Cardona tweeted, “we are just getting started” to provide student debt relief for millions of Americans.

CSLDSRW’s study also found that Californians of color default more on their student loans. Neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area with the largest percentages of Black and Latino residents had 19.9% of borrowers in delinquency and 15% in default.

In Los Angeles, borrowers living in ZIP codes with high minority populations had double the amount of default rates than borrowers in ZIP codes that are predominantly white.

U.S. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts) told the media at an event hosted by the American Federation of Teachers earlier this year that she, too, had defaulted on her student loans.

Black women carry 20% more in student debt than white women, according to the American Association of University Women, an advocacy group that fights for fair pay and economic opportunities for women.

“Like 85% of Black students, I had to borrow; and like so many of those students, I had also defaulted on those loans. We know that Black and Brown students are five times more likely to default for those loans than our white counterparts,” said Pressley.

CSLDSRW’s reported that among all borrowers, Black women accrued more student debt, an average of $37,558, from their undergraduate studies than any other group.

According to EducationData.org, a website that addresses the rising cost of higher education, Black college graduates owe an average of $52,000 in student-loan debt – nearly $25,000 more than their white counterparts.

In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 424, the Private Student Loan Collection Reform Act, which places new documentation requirements on private student loan lenders before activating any collection activity. AB 424 becomes law on July 1, 2022.

“We’re turning commitments into reality by ensuring that our students have more access to high-quality educational opportunities, creating a change of course for generations to come and bolstering California’s innovation economy,” Newsom said when he signed the legislation.

“Californians have thrived at our world class universities for decades, but not everyone has had similar access – today that’s changing,” he continued. Everyone deserves a shot at the ‘California Dream.”

The U.S. Department of Education expects thousands more to benefit in the coming months from more federally funded debt relief programs.

Over 45 million Americans have a total of $1.7 trillion worth of student loan debt. Progressive lawmakers have pushed Biden to wipe out all federally held debts up to $50,000 and they are making efforts to stop repayments of loans.

“89% of student borrowers say they aren’t financially ready to resume student loan payments & 27% will be spending at least a third of their income on payments when they resume,” tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). “Student debt is dragging down our communities and economy@POTUS should #CancelStudentDebt.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Final Environmental Impact Report Released for Possible New A’s Stadium Ballpark

Don't Miss

Malia Cohen Re-Elected Chairwoman of State’s Board of Equalization

Oakland Post

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

COMMENTARY: The National Protest Must Be Accompanied with Our Votes

Just as Trump is gathering election data like having the FBI take all the election data in Georgia from the 2020 election, so must we organize in preparation for the coming primary season to have the right people on ballots in each Republican district, so that we can regain control of the House of Representatives and by doing so, restore the separation of powers and balance that our democracy is being deprived of.

Published

2 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper. File photo..

By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper

As thousands of Americans march every week in cities across this great nation, it must be remembered that the protest without the vote is of no concern to Donald Trump and his administration.

In every city, there is a personal connection to the U.S. Congress. In too many cases, the member of Congress representing the people of that city and the congressional district in which it sits, is a Republican. It is the Republicans who are giving silent support to the destructive actions of those persons like the U.S. Attorney General, the Director of Homeland Security, and the National Intelligence Director, who are carrying out the revenge campaign of the President rather than upholding the oath of office each of them took “to Defend The Constitution of the United States.”

In California, the primary comes in June 2026. The congressional races must be a priority just as much as the local election of people has been so important in keeping ICE from acquiring facilities to build more prisons around the country.

“We the People” are winning this battle, even though it might not look like it. Each of us must get involved now, right where we are.

In this Black History month, it is important to remember that all we have accomplished in this nation has been “in spite of” and not “because of.” Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes nothing without a struggle.”

Today, the struggle is to maintain our very institutions and history. Our strength in this struggle rests in our “collectiveness.” Our newspapers and journalists are at the greatest risk. We must not personally add to the attack by ignoring those who have been our very foundation, our Black press.

Are you spending your dollars this Black History Month with those who salute and honor contributions by supporting those who tell our stories? Remember that silence is the same as consent and support for the opposition. Where do you stand and where will your dollars go?

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Congresswoman Simon Votes Against Department of Homeland Security, ICE Funding

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

Published

2 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Post Staff

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) released a statement after voting against legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB).

“Today, I voted NO on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 13, 2026.

“ICE and CBP do not need more funding to terrorize communities or kill more people,” she said in the media release.

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

“The American people are demanding change. Poll after poll of Americans’ opinions show overwhelming support for requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras and prohibiting them from hiding their faces during enforcement actions. This is the bare minimum transparency standard, and this funding legislation does not even meet this low bar,” Simon said.

“Republicans in Congress are not serious about reining in these lawless agencies. Their refusal to make meaningful changes to the DHS funding bill has consequences that go beyond immigration enforcement. TSA agents who keep our airports safe and FEMA workers who help our communities recover from disasters are stuck in limbo due to Republican inaction.

“The Constitution does not have an exception for immigrants. Every person on American soil has rights, and federal agencies must respect them. The East Bay has made clear at the Alameda County and city level that we will hold the line against a violent ICE force and support our immigrant communities – I will continue to hold the line and our values with my votes in Congress.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Post Newspaper Invites NNPA to Join Nationwide Probate Reform Initiative

The Post’s Probate Reform Group meets the first Thursday of every month via Zoom and invites the public to attend. The Post is making the initiative national and will submit information from its monthly meeting to the NNPA to educate, advocate, and inform its readers.

Published

2 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the Black press with over 200 newspapers nationwide.

Last night the Post announced that it is actively recruiting the Black press to inform the public that there is a probate “five-alarm fire” occurring in Black communities and invited every Black newspaper starting from the Birmingham Times in Alabama to the Milwaukee Times Weekly in Wisconsin, to join the Post in our “Year of Action” for probate reform.

Reporter Tanya Dennis says, “The adage that ‘When America catches a cold, Black folks catch the flu” is too true in practice; that’s why we’re engaging the Black Press to not only warn, but educate the Black community regarding the criminal actions we see in probate court: Thousands are losing generational wealth to strangers. It’s a travesty that happens daily.”

Venus Gist, a co-host of the reform group, states, “ Unfortunately, people are their own worst enemy when it comes to speaking with loved ones regarding their demise. It’s an uncomfortable subject that most avoid, but they do so at their peril. The courts rely on dissention between family members, so I encourage not only a will and trust [be created] but also videotape the reading of your documents so you can show you’re of sound mind.”

In better times, drafting a will was enough; then a trust was an added requirement to ‘iron-clad’ documents and to assure easy transference of wealth.

No longer.

As the courts became underfunded in the last 20 years, predatory behavior emerged to the extent that criminality is now occurring at alarming rates with no oversight, with courts isolating the conserved, and, I’ve heard, many times killing conservatees for profit. Plundering the assets of estates until beneficiaries are penniless is also common.”

Post Newspaper Publisher Paul Cobb says, “The simple solution is to avoid probate at all costs. If beneficiaries can’t agree, hire a private mediator and attorney to work things out. The moment you walk into court, you are vulnerable to the whims of the court. Your will and trust mean nothing.”

Zakiya Jendayi, a co-host of the Probate Reform Group and a victim herself, says, “In my case, the will and trust were clear that I am the beneficiary of the estate, but the opposing attorney said I used undue influence to make myself beneficiary. He said that without proof, and the judge upheld the attorney’s baseless assertion. In court, the will and trust is easily discounted.”

The Black press reaches out to 47 million Black Americans with one voice. The power of the press has never been so important as it is now in this national movement to save Black generational wealth from predatory attorneys, guardians and judges.

The next probate reform meeting is on March 5, from 7 – 9 p.m. PST. Zoom Details:
Meeting ID: 825 0367 1750
Passcode: 475480

All are welcome.