Help us end predatory lending

Debt has become a means of survival in the United States. Most workers haven’t seen a real wage increase in 35 years. Instead, we’ve experienced a rollback of workplace protections and bosses demanding more of our time, often at a moment’s notice.

Just to hold on, we have to borrow: to finance our homes, our education, our health care, or even our next meal. If white families are facing these struggles, it’s even tougher for black and Latino families, who’ve long been denied any kind of foothold in our economy.

The Up From Debt conference will connect our experiences and struggles, address impacts on people of color and women,. We’ll begin to frame debt as a deep and broad problem that needs both universal and targeted solutions. The conference goals are to:

• Talk about the impact of debt on our lives, analyze how structures and institutions push people into the debt trap.

• Create a venue where people can break the shame and isolation associated with debt and feel empowered to fight back – together.

• Give support at the grassroots level to those who are fighting against the various forms of debt, including medical debt, foreclosure, legal financial obligations, student loan debt, payday lending, predatory small business lending, and credit card debt.

• Identify big policy ideas for freeing people from debt, minimizing future debt, and ending the devastating impact on all families.