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May 20, 2019

Billionaire Robert F. Smith Will Pay Student Debt of Entire Graduating Class of Morehouse College
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In Atlanta, billionaire investor Robert F. Smith stunned students at
Morehouse College when he announced in his commencement speech Sunday he
would pay off the student debt of the entire graduating class.

Robert F. Smith: "Let's make sure every class has the same opportunity
going forward, because we are enough to take care of our own community.
We are enough to ensure we have all the opportunities of the American
dream. And we will show it to each other through our actions and through
our words and through our deeds."

Robert F. Smith is the founder of investment firm Vista Equity Partners
and is the richest black man in America, according to Forbes.

One of the graduating seniors at the historically black Morehouse
College is De Jaun Correia, the nephew of Troy Davis, who was executed
by the state of Georgia in 2011 despite major doubts about evidence used
to convict him of killing a police officer. Ben Jealous, former head of
the NAACP, who championed Troy Davis's case, tweeted, "Congrats Dejuan!
Junior year HS grandma died. You mourned & kept studying. Senior year HS
Uncle Troy was executed despite his innocence. You went back to work
wiring jets. That same year your mom died: cancer. You graduated on
time. Today: You're a #Morehouse Grad2019! Celebrate!"

The total amount of debt owed by the 396 graduating students reportedly
amounts to up to $40 million. Experts have warned about the mounting
student debt crisis for years. Nationwide, 44 million people owe nearly
$1.5 trillion in student debt. The average debt per student with federal
loans is $32,000.


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