We know that being in debt makes it hard to study. At Debt Collective we believe that everyone should be able to study and learn for free. Education can lead to liberation if we collectively learn how to dismantle all the types of oppression that come from living the indebted life, and even shifting that oppression into collective power! That’s why political education is a crucial aspect of our growing movement. It allows us to build strong relationships and develop shared analysis, which is essential to building a debtors’ union! During 2023 our staff and volunteers will lead a series of political education events, named Jubilee School, which is available to our union members and comrades.
Check out all of our upcoming courses here.
Past courses can be found here.
Jubilee School themes will include political analysis on different types of mass indebtedness, racial capitalism, neoliberalism, decolonization, and more. Our work takes inspiration from a variety of sources which are not limited to:
Popular Education:
focuses on breaking down the teacher/student power dynamic and creating educational experiences which are meant to empower folks to tap into their personal and collective capacity to understand and transform their reality. Brazilian educator Paolo Friere is often credited with founding this field but it has long been practiced in social movements without a name (Freedom Schools, Myles Horton & The Highlander School, Ella Baker, etc.)
Critical Pedagogy:
taking inspiration from popular education and critical theory, seeks to find ways of teaching and learning that build critical consciousness for all involved; seeks to understand the logic of oppressive structures and collectively discuss how to challenge them and build alternatives
Movement-Based Pedagogies:
learning from various pedagogies practiced in social movements, from third world and Black feminisms to social movements in Latin America
Decolonizing Knowledge:
as part of a broader project of undoing the harms of colonialism (especially the theft of land), this includes acknowledging, uplifting and incorporating forms of knowledge and ways of being that colonial systems have long ignored, denigrated and attacked
Anti-Oppression Facilitation:
incorporating styles and norms of facilitation that break down barriers to participation/inclusion and challenge the subtle perpetuation of power, privilege and oppression
Somatics and Trauma-Informed Practice:
bringing in tools and techniques that acknowledge the widespread trauma that exists among people living under oppressive systems
Upcoming Events Related
to Jubilee School
College for All Jubilee School: Tuition Pricing & Antitrust Law
SPEAKER: Doha Mekki
Join guest speaker Doha Mekki, formerly the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the DOJ’s antitrust division, to learn how corporate consolidation in education drives up tuition and how antitrust enforcement can help protect affordability. Doha Mekki is a Senior Fellow at the University of California Berkeley Law School’s Center for Consumer Law & Economic […]
Part of ourAn Abolitionist History of the University
SPEAKER: Eli Meyerhoff
In our moment of fascist authoritarianism and war, what does an abolitionist approach to the university offer? In this session, Abolitionist University Studies authors Eli Meyerhoff, Abbie Boggs, Nick Mitchell, and Zach Schwartz will provide an overview of what abolitionist perspectives provide for thinking about the university. Together, we’ll explore questions of debt and capture […]
Part of ourCollege for All Jubilee School: Erosion of Academic Labor
Colleges and universities are core to our communities and economy. How do we grow the higher ed labor movement while building consciousness of ourselves as workers? Join speakers from HELU to explore strategies for building connections and trust between very different kinds of workers so that we can move in coordinated action in the future. […]
Part of ourCollege for All Jubilee School: Plutocratic Governance
SPEAKER: Charlie Eaton
Join us as we discuss how billionaires from finance and big tech adopted more oligarchical roles in US politics and higher education with Charlie Eaton, Associate Professor of Sociology at UC Merced and author of the book Bankers in the Ivory Tower: The Troubling Rise of Financiers in US Higher Education. Charlie Eaton is an […]
Part of ourCollege for All Jubilee School: Moving Towards Solutions
In the United States, higher education has been careening toward collapse as a result of state and federal disinvestment, institutional segregation, the erosion of academic labor, plutocratic governance, and the explosion of for-profit higher education that cynically leverages Americans’ lack of time and opportunity. As a result, public support for colleges and universities is eroding. […]
Part of ourCollege for All Jubilee School: Divesting the University from State Violence
In the United States, higher education has been careening toward collapse as a result of state and federal disinvestment, institutional segregation, the erosion of academic labor, plutocratic governance, and the explosion of for-profit higher education that cynically leverages Americans’ lack of time and opportunity. As a result, public support for colleges and universities is eroding. […]
Part of ourCollege for All Jubilee School: Funding Free College
SPEAKER: Max Page
This workshop, led by Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page, will engage participants in a discussion about how together we can achieve debt-free public college by taxing the very wealthy. We’ll share some of the history of college costs, hear from participants about their efforts, look at some recent wins, and explore resources for making […]
Part of ourCollege for All Jubilee School: Democratic Governance
In the United States, higher education has been careening toward collapse as a result of state and federal disinvestment, institutional segregation, the erosion of academic labor, plutocratic governance, and the explosion of for-profit higher education that cynically leverages Americans’ lack of time and opportunity. As a result, public support for colleges and universities is eroding. […]
Part of ourCollege for All Jubilee School: Public Knowledge Creation
In the United States, higher education has been careening toward collapse as a result of state and federal disinvestment, institutional segregation, the erosion of academic labor, plutocratic governance, and the explosion of for-profit higher education that cynically leverages Americans’ lack of time and opportunity. As a result, public support for colleges and universities is eroding. […]
Part of ourCollege for All Jubilee School: A History of the College for All Fight
SPEAKER: Mark Huelsman
Join us as we discuss a (recent) history of the free college fight and of “College Promise” programs in the U.S. with Michelle Miller-Adams, author of the book The Path to Free College, and Mark Huelsman (bios below). This event will include a discussion of a variety of free college models, research and evidence, and […]
Part of ourCollege for All Jubilee School: How to Win
SPEAKER: Aissa Canchola Bañez
This final session of the College for All Jubilee School series will look forward and discuss how we can win tuition free public college, dignified labor conditions, academic freedom, and debt cancellation. Speakers will include Aissa Canchola Bañez and others to be announced (bios below). Aissa Canchola Bañez is Policy Director at Protect Borrowers, formerly […]
Part of our