Loan Forgiveness, Pardons & A Holiday! Thank You, Pres. Biden!

By Betty Jean Grant

Betty Jean Grant

One can say all they want about how they think former U.S. President Joe Biden dropped the ball or did not do enough for Black and Brown people. I disagree.

This writer was one of many minority students who would not have been able to attend college without federal or state grants available to low-income students. In some households, these grants were not enough to cover full tuition, leaving those who wished to continue their higher education to take out loans or have their parents sign or co-sign long-term loans, payable over many years.

One of the main problems encountered was that many college graduates chose careers in health, education, or human services. These professions are essential, and those who enter these fields must be commended. However, the salaries in these lower-paying yet necessary jobs often do not leave enough money to cover living expenses and student loan obligations.

With a stroke of a pen, President Biden eliminated the repayment obligations for borrowers who had been struggling with loans for 20 years or more, as well as for those who had worked in poverty-stricken areas for ten years or more. This loan forgiveness program also helped those who chose to work in inner-city schools or other government-assisted agencies and organizations.

For those who do not know who the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey is, I suggest reading Up You Mighty People and any information available about the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). Founded by the Honorable Marcus Garvey, the UNIA was a self-help and empowerment organization that, in its heyday in the early 1920s, had over 10,000 members.

The UNIA owned hotels, banks, and even a shipping business with passenger and freight ships called the Black Star Line. Unfortunately, Garvey’s ability to mobilize and unite the Negro race was not well received by racists who wanted Black people to remain economically oppressed. As a result, they fabricated bogus mail fraud charges against him. The U.S. government accused Garvey of these charges simply because he was sending solicitations for UNIA membership fees through the mail—an act that was completely legal.

Buffalo’s Black community can be thankful to the brave and courageous formerly enslaved people of Galveston, Texas, who celebrated their newfound freedom with singing, dancing, and feasting for days. Their celebration, initially called Jubilation Day or Emancipation Day, eventually became known as Juneteenth. In Buffalo, Juneteenth became a festival in 1976, as the Black community sought an alternative to the nation’s Independence Day, or Fourth of July, celebrations. The festival has since grown into an annual two-day event, featuring a parade that takes place between June 13 and June 19. Today, Buffalo hosts the second-largest Juneteenth celebration in the country, behind Galveston, Texas.

When Joe Biden took one of those ceremonial pens and made June 19th, or Juneteenth, a national holiday, he did more than just certify another important event in African American history. His recognition of Juneteenth as a day worthy of national respect and reverence is a small but meaningful step toward advancing the process of reparations— something this country must acknowledge, address, and ultimately resolve.