Pharrell Williams made a few HBCU students and recent grads “happy” after paying off their student loans.
The producer made the announcement during an NAACP panel apart of his Something In The Water festival. The panel discussed the student debt crisis among Black students in school.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson shared photos of the moment the five recipients were made aware of Williams’ generosity. Johnson also made that moment the perfect opportunity to call for President Joe Biden to relieve all student debt.
“Priceless. The moment five young NAACP leaders learn, @Pharrell is cancelling all their student debt.
@POTUS, it’s your turn now to do the same for all Americans plagued by student debt.”
Priceless. The moment 5 young NAACP leaders learn @Pharrell is cancelling all their student debt.@POTUS, it’s your turn now to do the same for all Americans plagued by student debt. pic.twitter.com/hAQWh0wW0a
— Derrick Johnson (@DerrickNAACP) June 17, 2022
Wisdom Cole, the NAACP’s national director of youth and college, applauded Williams and pointed out how debt specifically affects the Black community.
“Pharrell forever changed their lives,” Cole said. “Student debt continues to disproportionately plague the Black community and crush opportunities for so many Black people. It is time to reduce the racial wealth gap. It is time for President Biden to fulfill his promise.”
The promise Cole is referring to is Biden’s 2020 campaign promise to eliminate the national student debt.
“I am considering dealing with some debt reduction,” Biden said in April. “I am not considering $50,000 debt reduction. But I’m in the process of taking a hard look at whether or not there will be additional debt forgiveness.”
Collectively, more than 43 million Americans have $1.6 trillion in federal student loan debt.
