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U.S. Forgives Nearly $137 Billion of Student Loans  - Teachers, Social Workers, Public Servants Among Those to Benefit By Charlene Crowell

February 15, 2014

Black Student Reading Book in Library

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Teachers, social workers, and other public servants are among those expected to benefit from recent Biden Administration efforts to expand eligibility for federal student loan forgiveness.

Collectively, these borrowers will be relieved of $4.9 billion debt in return for their service to communities that earned them forgiveness under Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and Income-Driven Repayment (IDR).

“The Biden-Harris Administration has worked relentlessly to fix our country's broken student loan system and address the needless hurdles and administrative inaccuracies that, in the past, kept borrowers from getting the student debt forgiveness they deserved," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

James Kvaal, U.S. Under Secretary of Education added, “The Biden-Harris Administration is not going to stop until we’ve helped all of those harmed by the broken student loan system.”

Announced by the federal Department of Education  in January, this latest expansion boosts the Biden Administration’ s total student loan forgiveness to $136.6 billion for more than 3.7 million borrowers. Here’s how this unprecedented loan relief was accomplished:

  • $56.7 billion for 793,400 borrowers enrolled in PSLF since October 2021. Prior to the Biden-Harris Administration’s fixes to PSLF, only about 7,000 borrowers had ever received forgiveness;
  • $45.7 billion in IDR relief for 930,500 borrowers;
  • $11.7 billion for almost 513,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability; and
  • $22.5 billion for more than 1.3 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools, saw their institutions precipitously close, or are covered by related court settlements.

In late 2023, the Federal Reserve determined that although most consumers pay $400 or less in monthly loan payments, 19 percent of borrowers pay far more. As reported by Motley Fool, payments between $500 and $999 are made by 14 percent of borrowers, while payments of $1,000 or more are paid by five percent of borrowers.

“Outstanding student loan debt exceeds outstanding auto loan debt and credit card debt,” recently noted Rohit Chopra, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). “If student loan borrowers are unable to successfully enroll in payment plans or obtain accurate information about their accounts, this can have a domino effect on the rest of their financial lives.”

In December 2023, CFPB issued a new report entitled, Making Ends Meet in 2023. Two findings in this report highlight the heavy and disproportionate financial effects for borrowers of color:

“Consumers who currently have student debt were 10 percentage points more likely to have difficulty paying bills than consumers who had student debt at some point in the last 10 years but no longer do and consumers who have not had student debt for at least 10 years if ever.”

“Nearly 58 percent of Black consumers and 54 percent of Hispanic households could not cover expenses for more than a month in February 2023,” continued the CFPB report, “while this was the case for only 34 percent of non-Hispanic white households and 32 percent of households of another race. These differences among groups were largely unchanged since 2022.”

Secretary Cardona said the Education Department’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan will deliver even greater debt relief and help put more borrowers on a faster track to loan forgiveness. Borrowers who originally took out $12,000 or less for college and are enrolled in the SAVE Plan will see forgiveness after as few as 10 years of payments. Those who are enrolled in SAVE and are eligible for early forgiveness will have their debts automatically cancelled starting next month, months ahead of schedule, with no action needed.

The Department and its partners are reaching out to encourage eligible but unenrolled borrowers to sign up for SAVE. Borrowers can find additional resources at StudentAid.gov and sign up for the SAVE plan at StudentAid.gov/save.

Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

NFL Turns to Africa to Build a Market Beyond the U. S.

Feb. 12, 2024

Jeremiah Owusu Koramoah

(GIN/TriceEdneyWire.com) - By the time you read this, the Super Bowl will be over and done. As will the Africa Cup of Nations 2023. What you may not have heard is how the league swapped the greenery of American football fields for an Accra marketplace in a mission to grow its brand and engage new fans across the continent.

In the 15-second teaser seen over the weekend, the NFL spotlights growing global initiatives in a Super Bowl commercial. Three of the league’s top stars are seen in downtown Accra, scampering through Ghana’s Makola Market, passing street vendors, flipping and leaping, before doing the Azonto dance.

In the ad campaign, titled “Born to Play,” Giants running back Saquon Barkley, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and Saints defensive end Cam Jordan are centerpieces in the spot.

The NFL has been growing its presence in Africa, starting in Ghana, with the Cleveland Browns’ Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. A linebacker, his use of Ghanaian and other African cultures in his pre-game wardrobe makes his fashion sense stand out - not often seen in American pro sports.

In the league today, there are currently over 125 players of African descent (born in Africa or children born to African immigrants), per the NFL.

Last year, the National Football League's "NFL Africa" program expanded to Kenya as the League continues to invest in growing the game at all levels across the continent.

The Indianapolis Colts currently have six Africans on their 53-man roster: defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore, tight end Mo Alie-Cox, linebacker Segun Olubi and defensive ends Samson Ebukam (Nigerian), Dayo fOdeyingbo and Kwity Paye (Liberian). Defensive tackle McTelvin Agim, who is of Nigerian descent, is on their practice squad.

That's the most of any team in the league, creating an environment where players are able to share different experiences that many of their other teammates can't relate to.

While the players enjoy their shared experience, there is also a sense of pride that comes with representing Africa.

"You're definitely an ambassador in everything you do," Olubi said. "I'm an ambassador with my last name. Everybody knows where my last name comes from. My first name, my family, got to make them proud and make the people around them proud."

In January 2024, the League announced its International Player Pathway (IPP) program Class of 2024, which features 11 athletes from around the world.

Osi Umenyiora, who spent part of his youth living in both London and his native Nigeria, played 12 seasons in the NFL, winning two Super Bowls with the New York Giants. After retiring, Umenyiora began working for the league, eventually rising to lead the NFL Africa initiative, where he foresaw a lot of potential on the continent.

“This is just the beginning for these players, and we eagerly anticipate sharing their stories and the game of football with the world.”

Since its inception, 37 international players have signed with NFL teams. “Without a shadow of a doubt, that is the home of the most incredible athletes in the world,” Umenyiora said of Africa. 

Joe Madison - an Unapologetic Voice for Justice – Has Died. Who Will Now Carry the Torch? By Hamil R. Harris

Feb. 7, 2024

JoeMadison OfficialPhoto

Joe "The Black Eagle" Madi

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Joe “The Black Eagle” Madison, an unapologetic radio activist who dedicated his life fighting on and off the air, has died of prostate cancer. And amid all tributes the question that is being most asked is who now will carry the progressive torch for Black America?

“Joe Madison was the voice of a generation,” President Joe Biden posted on X/Twitter Feb. 1. “Whether it was a hunger strike for voting rights or his advocacy for anti-lynching legislation that I was proud to sign in 2022, Joe fought hard against injustice. Jill’s and my thoughts are with his wife, Sherry, and the entire family.”

In his death, Madison, 74, is making one more lap around Radio Row and this time the issue is Prostate Cancer. He was initially diagnosed in 2009. The cancer went into remission, but then it came back.

“Joe dedicated his life to fighting for all those who are undervalued, underestimated, and marginalized. On air he often posed the question, “What are you going to do about it?", the family said in a statement. “Although he is no longer with us, we hope you will join us in answering that call by continuing to be proactive in the fight against injustice.”

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson released a long statement on the passing of Madison who dedicated most of his life to Civil Rights and organizations like the NAACP.

“At age 24, Joe became the youngest executive director of the NAACP's Detroit branch before being appointed the organization's national political director from 1974 to 1978 and eventually being elected to the national board of directors where he served for 14 years from 1986 to 1999,” Johnson said. “In 1996, Joe was appointed chairman of the NAACP Image Awards where he promised to restore the prominence of the NAACP Image Awards. The next year, he was awarded the Chairman's Award at the 1997 NAACP Image Awards. The result of his work to preserve the legacy of the NAACP Image Awards has been seen and felt since.

Throughout his time at the NAACP, Joe led numerous voter mobilization efforts. One of the most notable included the "March for Dignity" where hundreds of volunteers partook in a cross-country activation from Los Angeles to Baltimore. These marches garnered substantial success, where thousands of signatures were collected in support of an anti-apartheid bill in Congress.

In 2021, Madison went on a 73-day hunger strike to encourage the passage of voting rights bills. Despite his fight with prostate cancer during his hunger strike, knowing the health ramifications of the strike, Joe declared, "I am willing to die." His dedication to the cause of voting rights and access to the ballot box for Black voters was unlike any other.

Johnson said that several months following his hunger strike, Madison's persistent advocacy on the airwaves played a crucial role in the passage of the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act in the Senate. His impactful work garnered recognition from prominent figures and global leaders, including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, President Barack Obama, and former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. As America continues to face attacks on the fundamental right to vote, it is the hope of many that elected leaders will be among those who will carry on Joe's legacy, particularly his dedication to the preservation of the Voting Rights Act.

On Friday Feb 2, Vice President Kamala Harris called into The Clay Cane Show in Orangeburg, S.C. to pay her respects to Madison who passed away on Feb. 1 at the age of 74. 

“Whenever there was a moment in terms of what was happening in our country, which was a significant moment, an inflection moment, I always talked with Joe Madison,” Harris said. “He would always be able to, in the conversation, remind us all about the history on an issue. He always had a perspective that is a reflection of the voice of the people.”

While reflecting on their relationship, the Vice President shared that Joe was one of her very first interviews after being sworn in as a Senator – becoming only the second Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Harris also noted her admiration for Joe’s spirit of optimism, his championing of voting rights, and how he always challenged people to respond to challenging moments by asking of themselves, “what are you going to do about it?”

Willie Jolley, a nationally syndicated voice on XM radio said, “Joe Madison was not only a dear friend but when I went to XM 21 years ago he was one of my advisers on how to become successful in that medium.”

“Eighteen years later I have the best self-help show in the country” Jolley said. “Getting good counsel from Joe Madison in terms of How to speak to a national audience. He had a tremendous impact on my radio career…He was fearless and committed,” Jolley said. “He just didn't talk the talk he literally walk the walk. He was consistent. He had mentees pouring into others.”

Pouring into others and being a model for youth was a major part of Joe Madison’s life, says Hazel Trice Edney, editor-in-chief of the Trice Edney News Wire. She was president of the Capital Press Club, when it honored Madison with an award during the organization’s 70th anniversary celebration in 2014.

“Joe was a consummate mentor who never said no when I asked to bring my Howard University mass communications class to visit him at SiriusXM Radio. He and his wife, Sharon, who was his producer, would even email to remind me that they are welcome,” she said. Edney recalled one particular instance in which Madison allowed her students to participate with him on a radio interview. “Joe was one of a kind; never afraid; always keenly focused like the Eagle that he called himself. Prayerfully, his style and commitment has been infectious to produce others to run with the torch for justice.”

Rev. Al Sharpton on Instagram, said, “He was not just a supreme radio host he was a global activist. He raised the issue of slavery in the Sudan almost single handedly. I raised his Sudan work in my speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 when I was running for President.”

Dr. Ben Chavis, Executive Director of the National Newspaper Association, said that going forward, “We need a clear clarion voice that represents all of the interest of Black America amid all of the distractions and noise. When people hear a clear voice, they respond. The NNPA is focused on being that clear voice.”

Joseph Edward Madison was born in Dayton, Ohio, on June 16, 1949. He and  his younger sister were raised by their grandparents after his parents “abandoned” them when he was 2, according to his 2021 memoir, that was called, “Radio Active.”

According to his official bio, Madison was an All-Conference running back at Washington University in St. Louis where he was also a baritone soloist in the university choir and a disc jockey at the campus radio station. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology and was the first person in his family to graduate college. Washington University also awarded Madison an honorary doctorate largely because of his community service and his impact.

URGENT CORRECTION IN JOE MADISON STORY

Editors and Publishers, in an earlier version of the Joe Madison death story, we mistakenly called his wife by the name "Karen" when it should be Sharon. The mistake has been corrected in the current posted version, but in case you have already downloaded it, please change it to Sharon. Thank you. We regret the error.

Harvard Report Says Blacks, Latinos Hit Hardest by High Rental Costs: More than 12 million families pay half their income on housing By Charlene Crowell

February 4, 2024

Harvard 2024 JCHS Americas Rental Housing Power Point Images Jan 16

Harvard 2024 JCHS Americas Rental Housing Power Point Images Jan 25

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - A new report on rental housing from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) makes clear why so many people are dissatisfied with the nation’s economy. Released in late January and entitled, America’s Rental Housing 2024, the report documents how ever-rising rental costs are burdening people in every state of the country.

In 2022, a record high of 22.4 million cost-burdened renter households rose by two million families since 2019. Affordable housing should cost no more than 30 percent of total household income.

“Median rents have risen nearly continuously since 2001 in inflation-adjusted terms and are 21 percent higher as of 2022,” states JCHS. “Meanwhile, renters’ incomes have risen just 2 percent during the same period…Among cost-burdened households, 12.1 million had housing costs that consumed more than half of their income, an all-time high for severe burdens.” 

At the same time, eviction filings have returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2023 as relief measures expired. A record-setting 653,100 people were unhoused on a given night in January 2023, an increase of nearly 71,000 people in just one year. Once more, Blacks and Latinos are disproportionately impacted. Black people are 37 percent of all unhoused people but just 13 percent of the US population; while Latinos, representing 28 percent of homeless people are less than 20 percent of the population.

Ironically, according to the report, cost-burdened renters include people with full-time jobs with a span of incomes that some may find surprising.

While all income groups had increasing cost-burden rates from 2019 to 2022, middle-income renters making $45,000 to $74,999 saw their cost-burdened share rise the fastest with a 5.4 percentage point increase to 41 percent. Additionally, 8 million cost-burdened households were headed by a full-time, year-round worker.  

Among the 14.6 million renter households comprising the working poor – those earning $30,000 or less each year - had median cash savings of just $300 and total net wealth of only $3,200. They were also the most likely to live in substandard housing with multiple problems such as structural deficiencies, a lack of upkeep, or the inconsistent provision of basic features such as hot and cold running water, heat, and electricity. Households with lower incomes and households of color are disproportionately exposed to substandard conditions.

Long-standing federal programs like HUD’s Housing Voucher Program, better known as Section 8, were intended to provide sanitary, standard housing for low and middle-income families. But today’s reality reveals a much different experience. 

In 2022, HUD’s Housing Choice Vouchers assisted 2.3 million households, covering the difference between 30 percent of a household’s income and their area’s fair market rent. Their usage, however, depends upon participation by private-market landlords, who are not required to accept the vouchers in most places. Additionally, program rules and timelines discourage some landlords from participating. According to the report, 40 percent of people who receive a voucher are unable to secure a signed lease in the allotted time.

“Nationwide, states and cities also generate about $3 billion annually through housing trust funds to meet local housing needs,” states the report. “All of these efforts are crucial but fall short of the growing need… In 2022, just 7.2 million units had contract rents under $600—the maximum amount affordable to the 26 percent of renters with annual incomes under $24,000. This marks a loss of 2.1 million units since 2012, when adjusting for inflation. The spike in asking rents during the pandemic accelerated the trend, with more than half a million low-rent units lost just between 2019 and 2022.”

For Diane Yentl, President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the nation’s dearth of affordable housing is at a crisis level.

“Without affordable, available housing options and higher incomes, more than 10 million of America’s lowest-income households, disproportionately people of color, pay at least half their income on rent and utilities,” said in a recent statement. “With so much money going to keep a roof over their heads, renters with the lowest incomes are forced to live precariously, always one unexpected expense – for a broken-down car or unreimbursed medical bill – away from housing instability, eviction, and, in the worst cases, homelessness. Yet Congress only provides housing assistance to one in four eligible households.”

The JCHS report reached a similar conclusion:

“The instability caused by a lack of affordable housing bleeds over to other public spending, threatening the well-being of millions of people… With housing challenges growing ever more severe, now is the time to make a fuller commitment to ensuring that all people living in the US have a decent, safe, and affordable place to call home.”

Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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