Several advocacy organizations, spearheaded by 1000 Women Strong, a national hub for Black women organizing, have requested a series of meetings with the Biden administration to discuss the disproportionate impact of federal student loan debt on Black women.

In this audio interview of the Being American Podcast, Gov. Patrick sits down with Shakya Cherry-Donaldson, the executive director of 1000 Women Strong, a group that provides resources, recruits, trains, mobilizes, and organizes around issues that impact Black Women and their extended communities.

The announcement made by the US Department of Education on the federal student loan debt moratorium extension was welcome news. However, it is not enough! Before the pandemic, more than 43 million Americans owed nearly $1.7 trillion dollars in student loan debt.

Building on his own experience as a candidate, Patrick says that supporting the grassroots is necessary for sustained engagement beyond election day.

When Keisha Jeffcoat took out student loans at University of South Carolina, she understood the repayment terms and believed a career in corporate America would mean a higher salary. What she didn’t plan for, however, was the unfair structure of corporate jobs that paid her below her worth and needing loans to financially support herself and relatives, leaving little income to make loan payments.