Why canceling student debt is anti-racist (and why we must do it): 2021 Graduate College Distinguished Lecture

As the national debate about canceling student loan debt continues to heat up, Dr. Andre M. Perry, noted educator, journalist and scholar whose research focuses on race and structural inequality, education, and economic inclusion, isn’t afraid to wade in. 

Join us for the 2021 Graduate College Distinguished Lecture on Oct. 21, 2021 at 4:00  p.m. for Dr. Perry’s lecture, “Why canceling student debt is anti-racist (and why we must do it).” 

Perry will discuss how centering student debt policy around students of color would help to combat historic systemic racism that has prevented Black people and people of color from gaining back some of the wealth they were denied for centuries through structural racism. 

Following Dr. Perry’s lecture, he will sit down with special guest Dr. Battinto Batts Jr., dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University for a question and answer session to include questions from the audience. Questions for Dr. Perry can also be submitted in advance through your in-person or virtual registration.

The event is free and open to the public. The lecture will be live-streamed and limited in-person seating is available. Registration is required for both event formats.

About Dr. Andre M. Perry

Perry is a Senior Fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, a scholar-in-residence at American University and the author of “Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities.” His research focuses on race and structural inequality, education and economic inclusion. 

Prior to Brookings, Perry worked in education in the Louisiana government, founded the College of Urban Education at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Mich. and was an associate professor at the University of New Orleans. He earned his Ph.D. in education policy and leadership from the University of Maryland College Park. 

About Dr. Battinto Batts

Dr. Battinto L. Batts Jr., dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU, is an award-winning journalist and journalism educator with deep experience in philanthropy and nonprofit administration. As the school’s top leader, he supervises approximately 170 full-time and part-time faculty, 50 staff members and 2,300 students. He also oversees 13 intensive full-immersion professional programs as well as all undergraduate, graduate and online curriculums.

Batts holds a master’s degree in media management from Norfolk State University and a doctorate in higher education management from Hampton University.

About the lecture series

Each year, the Graduate College Distinguished Lecture series brings a leading scholar to engage the ASU community in a discussion of the advancement of graduate education as a public good and how to attract, nurture, and inspire future generations of advanced learners, who will foster opportunity and well-being in their communities.

Are you looking for the 2023 Graduate College Distinguished Lecture?

Find out more and register for Sex, Lies and Food Banks: Reimagining the Future of Emergency Food with Kristina Wong  on November 3, 2023.