Proponents of canceling federal student loan debt have argued that doing so would help address centuries of anti-Black policies. : There was no college fund, no family savings to help Jamilah Williams pay for school. After she graduated from college and landed her first salaried job, her parents reminded her that she would have to help them pay off her student loan debt. “It was like, 'Oh, wow, this is going to take a huge cut out of my small paychecks,'” Williams said. Long after her student days, the $200 monthly payment has left her unable to cover other costs.