College Debt and the Black Community

Reparations for Black Communities through Education Reform

In the article by Jimenez and Glater (2020), the lit review section is organized thematically. It leads to the development and discussion of the research questions by providing the foundation or framework for the way in which the researchers approach the problem of education reform for black communities. The methodology is not clearly identified, but instead the literature is used to support the approach taken, with ample footnotes throughout. The basic apparent philosophy is that the approach is valid because it is arguing a point of view just like a lawyer would do in a court of law. The methodology and literature are thus really one part of the whole approach.

The lit review supports the arguments by providing references and sources to show that the researchers are not basing their claims on their own opinions or feelings but rather on the facts and existing evidence to date. The arguments that the authors are trying to convince the reader to accept are that debt for higher education is a disadvantage for black communities and that it serves to marginalize and oppress this community; thus, reform is needed. Moreover, the authors convinced me that this reform is needed because otherwise blacks will continue to be disadvantaged in America and not have the same opportunity to become middle class that whites have.

It does contain important review articles that I would want to obtain and read, such as The Price of Opportunity: Race, Student Loan Debt, and College Achievement by Jackson and Reynolds (2013), and The Labor Market Returns to a ForProfit College Education by Cellini and Chaudhary (2012). These would be helpful in deepening my understanding of these issues more fully.