STUDENT DEBT Student debt is another of those issues where Indian-Americans tend to fall into the camp of “If you’re stupid enough to incur student loans, you should pull up your socks and pay it off.” There is also the belief that most student debt is incurred by art history majors and other graduates who have been grasshoppers whiling away their summer studying non-STEM subjects without considering their future career prospects. “These Americans,” a wise uncle who has scrimped and saved all his life for his child’s college tuition will say, “they are so financially irresponsible.” On the face of it, it seems like a reasonable opinion to have. Immigrants from countries with strong saving cultures cannot fathom why anyone would go into crippling debt for an education. And it is easy to think that the calls to erase student debt are coming from a place of selfishness and recklessness. It also seems patently unfair to people to who have been prudent with their own money. Image of student debt by major from educationdata.org But there are few peculiarities of this $1.6 trillion crisis of student debt in America that are worth considering: After World War II, the G.I bill provided benefits to white veterans of the war that included a hugely subsidized education. But Black Americans were denied these benefits, creating a structural inequality that persists to this day. Nearly 85 percent of black students carry student debt today. (By being denied a college education, previous generations were prevented from building wealth.) Before 1981, college used to be affordable. But then President Ronald Reagan pushed through cuts to federal spending that decimated state spending on education. Surging college costs and proportionate increases in student debt resulted. Private institutions also stepped in to lend to students, often at usurious rates. Since 1980, U.S. college tuition and fees have increased by 1,200 percent . During President George W. Bush terms, the administration made it much easier to provide online education, and for-profit colleges boomed. Enrollment in these institutions increased by 329 percent during those years. Students looking to better their lives became the targets of slick marketing campaigns. Interest rates on student loans are often structured in such a way that borrowers end up repaying several times the original amount. Horror stories can be found on the internet. The 2008 recession severely impacted the ability of people to repay loans and exacerbated the crisis. People who lost their jobs also went back to school to try to gain new skills. Since then, the cost of a four-year college degree increased by 25 percent and student debt increased by 107 percent . ​ Despite the odds stacked against them, only one in ten students has defaulted on a loan payment. But it continues to be a crippling burden on a demographic that is the future of this country. Studies have also shown that student debt forgiveness would not only go a long way in redressing historical economic injustice, it would affect many economic and social metrics. It would allow for investment and entrepreneurship among disadvantaged communities, better childcare, better retirement planning, indeed every aspect of life. According to credit rating agency Moody’ s : Long term, a reduction in student loan debt could help improve the formation of small businesses and households, as well as spur an increase in homeownership. Blanket student loan debt forgiveness would mostly benefit people who would have likely paid off their loans over the long term. So far, the Biden administration has taken the following steps to ease the student debt issue for federal borrowers affected by the pandemic: Interest and collections for federal student loans have been extended through Aug. 31 In April, the U.S. Department of Education announced steps that will bring borrowers closer to public service loan and income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness by addressing historical failures in the administration of the federal student loan programs. More than 3.6 million borrowers will also receive at least three years of additional credit toward IDR forgiveness. The administration is also considering a blanket loan forgiveness per person, though the amount is still in question. Image of the rising cost of college education from visualcapitalist.com Become better informed about the facts around student debts. The resources below link to information around the topic so you understand the arguments and how to advocate for them. Keep checking back here for TSB activities around this issue. More Resources

About Us After the 2016 elections, a group of like-minded individuals in San Diego got together and participated in marches, hosted local candidate Meet & Greets and campaigned for Democratic candidates at the local, state and federal levels. In 2019, we learned of They See Blue® and its mission, and realized we had a shared vision. Joining this larger national group and working towards our common goals seemed like the right next step for us to make an impactful change. We are inspired by Gandhi’s famous quote: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Contact the San Diego Chapter Register to Vote Vote by Mail Return to Chapters Map Donate to They See Blue ® PROTECT OUR RIGHTS As South Asians, we must unite to protect our rights and those of all Americans. To do that, we must be actively engaged in our democracy against those who want to see it crumble. Your contribution through ActBlue will help us elect more Democrats and expand the majorities in the House and Senate in 2022.

Youth Leadership Council Goals: 1. Use digital tools & media strategies for intergenerational voter engagement 2. Engage with our community and build collaborative partnerships with allied organizations 3. Lead the initiation of a dozen chapters across the nation ​ The TheySeeBlue YLC has held a number of Voter Registration By Mail events in San Francisco and Oakland. We have organized at member's homes, coffee shops that support our mission, and spaces that local organizations have graciously offered for us to use. We have also helped build national and support national chapter growth, including traveling to Georgia and Houston. Read about TheySeeBlue's national goals Get in touch: theyseeblue@gmail.com Founding Our chapter began in 2019, when it became clear to the TSB Core team that we needed to make this movement intergenerational to represent the true diversity and power of the South Asian diaspora across the US. A few of us presented at the Bay Area Solidarity Summer (BASS) political action camp for South Asian youth in summer of 2019, and several members of BASS along with other South Asian youth came together to form the original YLC. Our first meeting was held in August of 2019 in Oakland with members joining primarily from the Bay Area, and since then, we have had members join the YLC from all across the nation. ​ Data from Reclaim Our Vote shows that current 18-40 year olds are the most registered generation in history, and also have some of the lowest voter turnout in history . Young voters are overwhelmingly left-leaning, so our work to mobilize this generation of voters is imperative. If we can engage young voters in swing states this November, we can grow the electorate and turn Senate and House seats across the nation from red to blue, and flip the presidency to Democratic leadership to get our country back on track.

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