In early April, we took a week to dream of a future without student debt. April 4-8th we took a series of actions to tell President Biden the time to cancel student debt is NOW. Here’s a quick recap of the week and how you can keep the momentum going!
Dreams Not Debt Actions
We dropped a new Dreams Not Debt video! At the rally we attended, we asked people what dreams they would make a reality if their student debt was canceled tomorrow. For many young people, student debt is the barrier separating them from their next phase of growth.
To that we say, “no more!” With the stroke of a pen, President Biden can make all these dreams a reality. Sign the Dreams Not Debt petition calling on the Biden Administration to:
- Take bolder steps in addressing the student debt crisis by canceling all current student debt
- Reform the student loan program to mitigate future student debt
- Make public colleges and universities free for all students
Since the launch of the campaign, we’ve been collecting student debt stories. President Biden must hear the words of those with student debt and take action on the student debt crisis.
During the Week of Action, we highlighted the stories from youth organizers in our network, and had the chance to highlight a guest-writer on the Alliance blog! Akii Butler, student organizer with Ohio Student Association, shared his student debt story and what he hopes to do with a life free from his student loans.
Whether you currently have student debt or are worried about future student debt, we want to hear your story. We want to know what future you are not able to dream up for yourself because of student debt.
Rally for Student Debt Cancellation
On Monday, April 4th the Alliance team along with our network organizations Ohio Student Association and Virginia Student Power Network hit the streets to join an in-person rally outside of the U.S. Department of Education hosted by our friends, Debt Collective. Through the power of words, art, and dance, young people from across the country demonstrated the importance of freedom from student debt.
Dreams Not Debt Twitter Chat
On Tuesday April 5th, we hosted a Twitter Chat where we posed several questions to our followers around student debt. Here are some of our favorite tweets from the event:
Community Dreams
We also shared what Alliance Network orgs are doing to build a debt-free future in their communities. We featured new updates from New Era Colorado, Virginia Student Power Network, Ohio Student Association, and The Washington Bus.
Check us Out in the Press
Alliance Executive Director, Dakota Hall, joined The Young Turks’ The Conversation with Adrienne Lawrence to discuss how young people are pushing Biden to cancel student loan debt.
Dakota Hall and Rachael Collyer, Program Director at Ohio Student Association, were quoted in this USA Today article on student debt and how Biden’s lack of action on one of his biggest campaign promises might hurt Democrats in the midterms.
“This is a promise that needs to be delivered on and could have some real implications for Democrats if they can’t,” Collyer said. “Like, actually deliver on the promises and make real change.”
Rachael Collyer, Ohio Student Association
Looking for more on Dreams Not Debt? Check out the campaign page on the Alliance website.