This is a word, a podcast from Slate.

I'm your host, Jason Johnson.

President Biden's plan to forgive millions of dollars in student loan debt is being

criticized by many conservatives, but hail by many people who are drowning in loan repayments.

But for African-American borrowers,

does this plan do enough?

What we see with black borrowers is that they tend to have higher average loans

than comparable white borrowers,

and that number has creeped up over time.

Student debt forgiveness and the African-American community

coming up on a word with me, Jason Johnson.

Stay with us.

Welcome to a Word, a podcast about race and politics and everything else.

I'm your host, Jason Johnson.

President Biden took a step toward fulfilling a key campaign promise last week when he

announced a plan to relieve millions

of dollars in student debt. The policy would wipe out $10,000 to $20,000 in loans for most

borrowers. For many African Americans, the expectation that taking student loans will fund a step

up on the socioeconomic ladder is often undercut with the reality,

that student loan debt can widen the racial wealth gap instead of closing it.

Joining us to talk more about that is Finneba Addo.

She's an associate professor of public policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel

...