Press Release 30th September, 2022
The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) had planned to submit today, 30th September, 2022 its Final Report to the President of the Republic of The Gambia as required under the provisions of Section 29 of the TRRC Act, 2017.
Work on the sixteen volumes comprising the Final Report has been completed, except for four volumes. It is the expectation of the Commission that work on these remaining volumes should be finished shortly. The Commission accordingly informed the Government, through the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, that it will continue the finalisation work and submit the full report when it is completed.
Without proposing yet another date for submission, the Commission assures that this final phase of its work will not be prolonged. The Attorney General and the Minister of Justice agreed to the proposal on behalf of the Government and reassured the Commission that the Government will continue to provide the funds required for the completion of the work of the TRRC.
Every year thousands of Black college graduates are burdened with student loan debt. Most of them have no college funds, no savings, and no financial support from their family members. Right after graduation, Black college graduates usually face the need to repay their student loans. This leads to the fact that after getting their first salaried jobs, Black students give almost everything they earn to pay off their loan debt. This financial trap makes them unable to cover other costs.
Black Americans, on average, owe nearly twice as much debt as white Americans. This is the issue that has catapulted onto the national stage amid a debate over debt forgiveness and racial justice. Economists, social justice activists, and Democratic leaders in Congress stand for forgiveness of the federal student loan debt and are sure that doing so would help address centuries of racist economic policies, including labor and housing discrimination, that still continue to make it difficult for Black Americans get access to wealth at the same rate as white Americans.
