In Washington, D.C., hundreds of protesters led a march to the Education Department for a national day of action Monday demanding the Biden administration cancel all student debt. This is Braxton Brewington, press secretary at the Debt Collective.

Braxton Brewington: “I have tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of student loan debt. My mother has student loan debt. My father has student loan debt. My brother has student loan debt. My sister has student loan debt. My aunts have student loan debt. This is a systemic problem. Black folks are bearing the burden of student debt. Women are bearing the burden of student debt.”

The Debt Collective is demanding President Biden fulfill a campaign promise to cancel student debt before federal student loan payments restart in May. Debt cancellation would give relief to some 45 million borrowers who owe nearly $1.8 trillion in student debt. Astra Taylor, co-director of the Debt Collective, said activists are preparing a nationwide student loan strike if their demands aren’t met.

Astra Taylor: “We can see that our debts are a source of power. Individually, they overwhelm us. But together, we can wield that power as leverage to push for a better system, to fight for the abolition of unjust debts, and the provision of the things that we need to survive, to thrive.”

Click here to watch our recent interview with Braxton Brewington and Astra Taylor.