(Black PR Wire) WASHINGTON DC –  Recently, the NAACP held a town hall to discuss the newly released student debt relief application, in collaboration with Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona and Department of Education senior advisor, Ashley Harrington who provided an in-depth explanation of the application and applicant eligibility, while discussing the most pressing concerns of Black debt holders across the country. The results of this open conversation with Americans will provide applicants with information on the application process and candidates with an insight into the debt issues that are most important to address in order to engage Black voters.

Facts of the student loan forgiveness application include: 

• Current federal student loan borrowers and parent PLUS loan borrowers who obtained loans before June 30, 2022, may qualify for loan cancellation.
• The application is short and only requires basic information such as name, birth date, Social Security number, phone number and email address.
• If you received a Pell Grant in college and meet the income threshold, you will be eligible for up to $20,000 in debt relief.

In his opening remarks of the national town hall, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson expressed the importance of providing student debt relief, stating: 

"We realize the number one debt for many African-Americans who were on a quest to close the racial wealth gap had a barrier of student loan debt. And as a result of that, we led the campaign to ensure that we did as much as we could through our advocacy voice to get this administration to do all that they could do to announce student loan debt cancellation." "The result of our votes in 2020 has allowed us to work as hard as possible to ensure this administration honored their commitment."

In an explanation of the impact of student debt relief, Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona highlighted:                               

"Student debt relief is here and what a lifeline it will be, especially for people of color." said Cardona. "Providing debt relief opportunities for different types of borrowers will make higher education more accessible. Nearly 42% of black borrowers will be debt free and the NAACP helped us get to this moment!"

A link to the full town hall can be found here. 

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ABOUT NAACP 

Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF – was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but separated in 1957 to become a completely separate entity. It is recognized as the nation's first civil and human rights law organization and shares our commitment to equal rights.