[ cheers and applause ] this is "nightline." >> tonight, student loan crisis. college graduates weighted down by crippling debt. >> you're going to ask your family not to buy your groceries this week so that you can cover your student loan payment? >> record high inflation making it even worse. >> it's a moral justice issue. >> relief is just weeks away. while some argue against the white house plan. >> i just don't think it's fair. >> others ask does it go far enough? plus angelica ross. ♪ the name on everybody's lips is gonna be ♪ ♪ roxie ♪ the newest star of "chicago." ♪ we're about as happy as babies can be ♪ the first openly trans woman to

star as roxie in that legendary broadway show. >> i'm a star just like madonna. >> how she went from fx's groundbreaking series "pose" to putting her own stamp on the legendary role. and "the little mermaid." ♪ wish i could be ♪ the little girls whose faces light up discovering a black litle mermaid for disney's live action remake, making them feel part of this world. >> she's like me. >> announcer: "nightline" will be right back.

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thanks for joining us. we begin tonight with the student loan debt crisis. millions of college graduates struggling to make ends meet. relentless inflation making things even harder. under a new white house plan relief is on the way for some, but critics on both sides of the aisle are dissatisfied, with some saying it does too much and others not enough. here's abc's deirdre bolton. >> i want you to take a little bit of time with the people at your table to draw and write what you think pltw is going to be like this year. >> reporter: chelsea greer doesn't want her daughter to follow in her footsteps. >> i ■likethiseamwork. >> reporter: as a public school teacher in wyndham, connecticut and mother of two, money is

tight. >> i have an almost 5-year-old that loves school. but when she tells us that she wants to grow up and be a teacher there's a part of my husband and i that like we cringe. because we don't want her to feel the same stress. but at the same time we know the value that comes from this profession. >> please bring your posters to the front of the room, please. >> reporter: though she loves her job, it's landed her with tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt. so how much did you end up owing for your master's to be able to teach in the state of connecticut? >> so i took out $86,000 worth of student loans to become a teacher. >> i think we can all agree we don't like the system, it's not working out well for anybody. >> what are you going to do? are you going to ask your family not to buy groceries this week so that you can cover your student loan payment? >> reporter: it's a crisis that has been steadily growing for

decades. hard-working americans mired in debt that they have to pay off after graduating from college. only made worse by rising prices. today the latest inflation report showing an 8.3% increase, worse than expected. to date americans have racked up a staggering $1.7 trillion of student debt. while the price of tuition has spiked 169% in the last four decades, wages for young workers have not kept up. but relief for some could be just a few weeks away. >> we will forgive $10,000 in outstanding federal student loans. >> reporter: president biden recently announcing a plan that could impact up to 43 million borrowers. >> here's what my administration is going to do. to provide more breathing room for people so they are less burdened by student debt. >> reporter: starting next month borrowers who qualify can apply for $10,000 in debt forgiveness and $20,000 for those who received pell grants, a type of aid for the country's lowest

income students. it applies to americans making less than $125,000 per year and couples making under 250,000. >> i think the student loan plan put forward by the biden administration is a good first step. it sounds very cliche to say it, but is is the case. but we cannot rely on the executive branch alone to fix college affordability. congress will have to be involved as well as state government. >> reporter: chelsey is just one of millions of americans who stand to benefit from the plan. but for her it's not enough. >> i was hoping for more. i was looking at my loan balance. i think $10,000 is a drop in the bucket. >> reporter: she says she has spent as much as $900 per month to pay off her loans, more than half her paycheck. >> how has it changed your lives? >> it's definitely impacted almost every decision that we make financially. we knew that purchasing a home was not in the cards for us,

that paying student loans was -- we were making payments that were equal to mortgages when we did decide to start a family, we waited a little bit for that. >> reporter: the plan has sparked strong reactions across the country. some celebrating it. others questioning its timing. coming just about two months ahead of midterms. >> it's a vote getter, i believe, to tell you the truth. it's perfect timing. >> i decided to go back to school and i decided to take out that loan. so i should have to pay it back. it's being responsible. >> now you've got somebody who did take out a student loan who says why should i have to pay for it if somebody else is willing to take up the slack? >> reporter: while democratic lawmakers largely support the plan, some think it doesn't go far enough. and a number of candidates in tough midterm races were quick to criticize it. just this week 22 gop governors sent a letter to the president urging him to withdraw the plan. it has also faced strong

backlash from republicans from the nation's capital. >> what you're saying to a whole lot of people in this country is go ahead, take out loans, don't worry about it, we'll just write it off when the time comes. >> reporter: while senate minority leader mitch mcconnell said the plan was a slap in the face, adding president biden's inflation is crushing working families and his answer is to give away even more government money to elites with higher salaries. but the numbers paint a different picture. >> when trying to decide whether you like it or you don't like it, it's not about the economy. it's not about jobs. it's not about gdp. it's not about inflation. those things aren't going to be affected in any meaningful way. >> i was always told that education is so important, and i believe that. and so i went to college. >> reporter: sabrina calazans, the daughter of brazilian immigrants, dreamed of being the first in her family to go to college. >> i had a wonderful experience. but after leaving is when i had a real shock, when i saw how

much i had to pay each other. >> reporter: paying for college is a family affair for the calazans. sabrina has loans. so does her sister. and their parents took ut o'loans on the girls' behalf. for all of them collectively $50,000 could be forgiven. how did you feel when this program was finally announced? >> a lot of conversations in my family is about what are we going to do in the future, are my parents going to be able to retire, am i going to be able to move out, are we going to be able to buy a home, and now i feel like that reality is possible and there's finally light at the end of the tunnel. >> we went to arcadia -- >> reporter: after seeing how debt affected her family sabrina was inspired to become an advocate, joining the student debt crisis center. >> student loan borrowers are working harder than anyone i know. no one in america should have to work multiple jobs so that they can pay for their rent and to pay for student loan payments. that shouldn't be an issue. >> we must continue to fight for borrowers. >> reporter: she's taken the fight all the way to washington,

advocating for those most affected by student loans, women, who hold 2/3 of the nation's student debt, and people of color. >> student loan debt crisis is more than just a financial or xlik economic crisis. it's a moral justice issue. it's a gender issue. it's a racial equity issue. it's a mental health crisis as well. >> reporter: and according to the brookings institution, when they graduate black borrowrs owe $7,400 more than white borrowers. that gap jumps to 25,000 just a few years after graduation. >> a lot of that is driven by labor market discrimination. so black students, or black borrowers i guess earning less than their peers with the same degrees, with the same job titles. >> reporter: though president biden's plan will help many, the issue of college affordability remains. >> it helps those people who borrowed a lot of money get their degree or go to school,

you know, in recent years. but it does nothing about the future. >> different groups have done this different ways. >> reporter: a future chelsey worries about. >> one big poster. you can -- >> i look at my students that come into my class, and i think where would they be with $80,000 of student loan debt? what's that going to do to them just so they can be a teacher? and some of them would be amazing teachers. and they have so much to give. >> i like it. i might keep your poster hanging up. >> reporter: so much to give and a lifetime of dreams ahead of them but facing a broken system. >> it's unfair. that i grew up believing that i had to go to college in order to be successful. and now as a teacher and as a

parent i don't -- i don't preach that same message. i don't tell my students or my own kids that college is definitely the answer. >> our thanks to deirdre. coming up, anjelica ross, the actress and trans activist making her broadway debut. ♪ one prilosec otc in the morning blocks excess acid production for a full 24 hours.

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angelica ross is bringing audiences to their feet after

her broadway debut in the musical "chicago" this week. she's playing roxie, now one of the first openly trans performers to star on the great white way. the actress is no stranger to cutting bold new trails. why she's hoping her latest role will inspire and uplift others. here's abc's janai norman. ♪ and that's good, isn't it grand ♪ ♪ >> reporter: from the rehearsal -- ♪ isn't it swell ♪ ♪ isn't it fun ♪ ♪ isn't it ♪ ♪ but nothing stays ♪ ♪ ♪ roxie ♪ >> reporter: to opening night. ♪ autographs outside ♪ ♪ roxie ♪ angelica ross is playing "chicago's" roxie hart like you've never seen her before. taking on a role that has been

played so many times before, how have you, are you, will you work to make roxie hart your own? >> you don't know this roxie. >> okay. >> i'm going to have to introduce you to her. >> reporter: angelica is making history as one of the few trans actresses to lead a broadway main stage and the first to play roxie. it's a moment she says she's ready for. >> when you have all of these headlines, other people kind of -- what is that like for you? because do you feel like how i identify actually has nothing to do with why i'm here. >> you have your peanut gallery, your people who are like mm, is this a move? is this a stunt? is this a trend? is it that kind of thing? what i'm really excited about this moment is for me to get the opportunity to show exactly why

i'm here. the only stunt you're going to see is me on that ladder. ♪ he ain't no sheik ♪ ♪ that's no great physique ♪ ♪ lord knows he ain't got the smarts ♪ >> reporter: "chicago" is her broadway debut. but angelica's a veteran performer who got her start performing in drag shows. >> i grew up singing, and then i transitioned and i couldn't figure out how to transition vocally. so for a long time i was a showgirl like rupaul's drag race type situation working at the kitkat lounge in chicago. for so many years lip-syncing. and then one day i was just like this doesn't feel right. i have a voice and i'm lip-syncing. and so i ended up quitting as a showgirl and i remember my last day at the job i pulled out my acoustic guitar in this drag bar and i just played original songs.

>> wow. >> and i just had the courage to say this is what my voice is right now. >> but what was that like for you? you seemed to be a natural-born performer. and for your voice to be such an important part of that, to have felt like for years you had lost touch with that? and now to get to showcase it on this stage. >> every couple days i have this moment where i'm just like i wish that i was doing this ten years ago. >> yeah. >> just five years ago. like roxie. there is a moment where i thought the opportunity had passed me by. and like she says, oh, no -- ♪ oh, no, no but it ain't ♪ i accidentally gave away my like tail on stage one day as i was reading the monologue and doing that line. and i was like, i could still get into broadway. and they were like -- i mean brondale. and it was me literally using

what they call an acting transference and just knowing an experience that i have and that i've always wanted to be on broadway. >> candy. >> reporter: angelica is perhaps best known for fx's "pose," where she played a fan favorite ballroom diva candy ferocity. a trans performer who knew her worth hitting home. >> i got heart. i got talent. i'm a star just like madonna. >> yes, "pose," i mean, it was one of the best experiences of my life. but it was also one of the most challenging. i remember my last -- one of my last scenes where candy's telling praytell you're the only one in this room that refuses to see that i've got something to contribute. i leave the ballroom doors and as soon as the doors close behind me i start hyperventilating. and i just start -- i couldn't catch -- i could not catch my breath. and then all of a sudden i

realized it was because somewhere in my body i was holding all of her emotion and i just had to let it out. >> wow. >> so i just started bawling, crying. >> yeah. >> i felt not only candy's pain of not being seen. there was a mix of my own in there. >> reporter: now she's ready to be seen and to shine, taking the stage on opening night with the dance moves -- ♪ come on babe why don't we paint the town ♪ ♪ and all that jazz ♪ -- that she's perfected. ♪ bringing the audience to its feet. [ cheers and applause ] >> when i looked out into the crowd and saw so much family and friends and trans people and non-binary folks, like they showed up for me and gave me a standing ovation, and i was just overwhelmed with emotion.

>> reporter: leaving the theater to meet her adoring fans and her family. >> hi, everyone! did you enjoy the show? >> yeah! >> oh, my goodness. thank you so much. it meant so much to me to have people -- my mom and dad are here. i thought y'all weren't coming. >> reporter: what's your message to the young trans person who is down and out and feels like i don't know? what would you tell them? >> well, i would say like again, to quote roxie hart, you know, i am my own best friend. so you have to start there. you cannot be looking outside of yourself. you want to sing something, perform something, do something and then look to someone else and say how was that? [ cheers and applause ] >> our thanks to janai.

coming up, how the "little mermaid" trailer is transporting millions under the sea and proving they are a part of this world. there it is. that look. that feeling. that ta-da moment. when everything just clicks. and you realize you aren't just wearing that style, you're owning it. ♪♪ find the brands, value, and inspiration to own your style. at macy's. when cold symptoms keep you up, try vicks nyquil severe. just one dose starts to relieve 9 of your worst cold and flu symptoms, to help take you from 9 to none. for max strength nighttime relief, nyquil severe: ♪♪ (vo) for over 50 years purina cat chow has been helping cats feel at home.

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and finally tonight, there's a powerful reason why little girls reacting to a black little mermaid is going viral. ♪ wish i could be ♪ >> the big reveal in the brief disney trailer for the live action remake provoking giddy, wondrous, and profoundly emotional responses from young black girls.

transporting them under the sea. >> wow. >> the trailer already racking up more than 12 million views on youtube since its release on friday. disney, the parent company of abc news, initially came under fire by some for casting a black actress and singer, halle bailey, in the classic role. >> what, baby? >> she's brown like me. >> yeah, she's brown like you. >> i'm so excited. >> the movie hits theaters in may 2023. and that's "nightline." you can watch all of our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. than