Reparations Fund for Natasha's Student Loan Debt
Donation protected
This is a campaign to support psychologist, consultant and life coach Natasha Holmes, PsyD, with her tremendous student loan debt.
The decision to set up this page emerged from a discussion during the 3/20/21 ‘Disrupting Whiteness in Pursuit of Reparations’ panel at the American Psychological Association's Div39 Spring 2021 conference. We originally set up this GoFundMe fund page as white and non-Black POC clinicians seeking to support our colleague, Natasha Holmes, PsyD, in an act of interpersonal reparation. Reparations at all levels address the effects of systemic, legally sanctioned racism, one of which is a huge gap in wealth accumulation between white and Black populations. The burden of educational costs for Black people pursuing higher education often results in crushing and unsustainable debt.
We have been moved to focus our support on one individual because we believe Dr. Holmes's experience is unique in the amount of debt she has been required to accumulate as the first member of her family to pursue higher education in order to lift her family out of cycles of generational inequity, perpetuated by classism and racism. Dr. Holmes's story represents the ubiquitous struggle of Black individuals navigating the U.S. educational system.
Dr. Holmes’s student loan totals $410,000.00. This total consists of several private, predatory loans. “Predatory lenders prey on individuals who don’t know the ins and outs of safe lending, making students – particularly minority students and those who need to borrow significant amounts of money to make college a reality – a prime target” (affordablecollegesonline.org, May 13, 2021). Predatory loans start out with affordable interest rates but allow the lender, generally without the borrower’s knowledge, to increase interest rates to amounts above 35%, making it impossible to ever pay down the principal of the loan. Many borrowers are forced to default on these loans, as they aren’t able to keep up with ballooning monthly payments.
Dr. Holmes is an invaluable member of the therapeutic community and an agent of change in the field of psychology and beyond. Her work is deeply committed to supporting women, BIPoC, queer, and trans members of our society, both at the local and national level. As founder of the Boston-based group practice, And Still We Rise, Dr. Holmes has been instrumental in developing the practice’s mission of creating “healing spaces for marginalized people by centering the values of community, critical consciousness, and decolonizing mental healthcare”. A link to her website can be found here: https://andstillwerise.us.
This campaign is an attempt to offset the massive fiscal and psychological burden of the innumerable sacrifices Dr. Holmes has made throughout her career. Dr. Holmes’s vision includes using the support she receives to lift up other colleagues and professionals who are in need. By donating to relieve Dr. Holmes of her crushing debt, we engage in an act of interpersonal reparation and support an invaluable mental health clinician who is committed to creating greater access for minoritized members of our communities. We invite non-Black individuals to join us in this effort. We welcome any donation amount; even small dollar amounts can accumulate quickly to make a huge difference.
The decision to set up this page emerged from a discussion during the 3/20/21 ‘Disrupting Whiteness in Pursuit of Reparations’ panel at the American Psychological Association's Div39 Spring 2021 conference. We originally set up this GoFundMe fund page as white and non-Black POC clinicians seeking to support our colleague, Natasha Holmes, PsyD, in an act of interpersonal reparation. Reparations at all levels address the effects of systemic, legally sanctioned racism, one of which is a huge gap in wealth accumulation between white and Black populations. The burden of educational costs for Black people pursuing higher education often results in crushing and unsustainable debt.
We have been moved to focus our support on one individual because we believe Dr. Holmes's experience is unique in the amount of debt she has been required to accumulate as the first member of her family to pursue higher education in order to lift her family out of cycles of generational inequity, perpetuated by classism and racism. Dr. Holmes's story represents the ubiquitous struggle of Black individuals navigating the U.S. educational system.
Dr. Holmes’s student loan totals $410,000.00. This total consists of several private, predatory loans. “Predatory lenders prey on individuals who don’t know the ins and outs of safe lending, making students – particularly minority students and those who need to borrow significant amounts of money to make college a reality – a prime target” (affordablecollegesonline.org, May 13, 2021). Predatory loans start out with affordable interest rates but allow the lender, generally without the borrower’s knowledge, to increase interest rates to amounts above 35%, making it impossible to ever pay down the principal of the loan. Many borrowers are forced to default on these loans, as they aren’t able to keep up with ballooning monthly payments.
Dr. Holmes is an invaluable member of the therapeutic community and an agent of change in the field of psychology and beyond. Her work is deeply committed to supporting women, BIPoC, queer, and trans members of our society, both at the local and national level. As founder of the Boston-based group practice, And Still We Rise, Dr. Holmes has been instrumental in developing the practice’s mission of creating “healing spaces for marginalized people by centering the values of community, critical consciousness, and decolonizing mental healthcare”. A link to her website can be found here: https://andstillwerise.us.
This campaign is an attempt to offset the massive fiscal and psychological burden of the innumerable sacrifices Dr. Holmes has made throughout her career. Dr. Holmes’s vision includes using the support she receives to lift up other colleagues and professionals who are in need. By donating to relieve Dr. Holmes of her crushing debt, we engage in an act of interpersonal reparation and support an invaluable mental health clinician who is committed to creating greater access for minoritized members of our communities. We invite non-Black individuals to join us in this effort. We welcome any donation amount; even small dollar amounts can accumulate quickly to make a huge difference.
Co-organizers (3)
Beth Lowry
Organizer
Williamsburg, MA
Natasha Holmes
Beneficiary
Lynne Layton
Co-organizer
Emily Fucheck
Co-organizer