“The strength of the US, is not the gold at Fort Knox or the weapons of mass destruction that we have, but the sum total of the education and the character of our people.”

Accessibility to higher education is seen as the most pressing civil right issue in the US. Education has always been sold as a tool of social mobility to the middle class, but unfortunately that doesn’t come cheap. Student debt in the US has risen to over 1.7 Trillion, with the majority held by African Americans. This has been subsidised through scholarships, grants and financial aid, but with the re-election of Donald Trump, who has made it his mission to dismantle the Department of Education this is only going to get worse.

“A higher education should be a right for all, not a privilege for the few.” Watson explores the history of the Pell grant, how Black colleges originated so students would no longer be turned away, how first generation students weren’t supported enough when looking at financing options and may have buried themselves in debt, how the cost of education has changed the workforce, how the pandemic highlighted the widening economic disparities that exist, how the “Republican” Supreme Court responded to solutions and finally how other countries compare.

As someone that isn’t ready to leave education and further learning just yet, I would be devastated to be bound and suffocated by this society. As I see Trump make his moves I can only imagine how this generation of students will suffer, be further indebted or choose not to go college/university.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Jamal Watson and Broadleaf Books for this early release copy. Student Debt Crisis is available from Sep 16th.

First off, thank you for writing this! As someone who is suffering with these predatory loans it means a lot to have a educated voice speaking about the problem. Second, this book was well written and established facts with REAL data. Bravo!