Race, Social Justice, and Higher Education Financial Aid in the United States: The Case of African Americans

The chapter examines the effects of access and distribution of financial aid on college access and retention of African Americans. Traditionally, higher education has been touted as the most viable means of upward social mobility for those below the middle class. In particular, many African Americans embraced college education as a critical credential to middle-class status. By examining structural inequities in federal policies, the authors reveal the social injustice impacts of financial aid policies on the educational aspirations of African Americans.