Episode 5: Financial Insecurity, Student Debt, and the Pandemic, with Chris Wheat and Fenaba Addo

Today we dive deep into Section 3 of The Pandemic Divide: COVID-19 and Financial Disparities, with guests Fenaba Addo and Chris Wheat, and hosted by Dr. William "Sandy" Darity. Topics include:

• Student loan debt and the 2020 election
• The racial disparities of student loan debt
• How Black-owned businesses were affected by the Pandemic
• The overall racial wealth gap since the Pandemic
• The uneven distribution of PPP funds
• The role of venture capital in Black-owned businesses

Fenaba Addo is the co-author of Chapter 5 of the Pandemic Divide: Housing, Student Debt, and Labor Market Inequality: COVID-19, Black Families/Households, and Financial Insecurity. She is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. Her research program examines the causes and consequences of debt and wealth inequality with a focus on higher education and family and relationships.

Chris Wheat is the co-author of Chapter 7 of the Pandemic Divide: COVID-19 Effects on Black Business-Owner Households. He is the President for the JPMorgan Chase Institute.

Voices in Equity is the official podcast of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University. The Cook Center is named after Samuel DuBois Cook, the first tenured Black professor at Duke University who exemplified the pursuit of social justice and equality. With research focuses including social mobility, education, health, wealth, and policy, the Cook Center aims to develop a deep understanding of the causes and consequences of inequality, and develop remedies for these disparities and their adverse effects. The aim of this podcast is to expand upon the work of the Cook Center through continuing crucial conversations that further our research and programming.

On our first podcast series, we’re focusing on The Pandemic Divide: How COVID Increased Inequality in America. It’s a collaborative book from faculty - many here at Duke - who are committed to shining a light on inequities and truly making a difference.

Voices in Equity is hosted by Dr. William "Sandy" Darity and is produced by Earfluence.

We invite you to check out the new Cook Center website at socialequity.duke.edu to learn more about the Cook center’s research, programming, multimedia, and educational activities.