No Longer a Professor
What Government Layoffs Are Revealing
I recently had the opportunity to give a book talk and lecture in Louisville, Kentucky alongside Professor
. We gathered to discuss the growing crisis of poverty and the barriers that block access to higher education in cities across the country.As I prepared to speak at The Table Cafe1, a restaurant that serves the unhoused community in the Portland neighborhood, something deeper started stirring in me.
I realized that I too had been affected by what is happening across the country, but not in the same way. I began serving as a professor and Director of Public Policy at an HBCU a little over a year ago, while also leading Love Beyond Walls.
In my case, I wasn’t just teaching for the sake of teaching. I stepped into higher education because I wanted to be a resource. My goal was simple. I wanted to bring both my lived experience and my research into the classroom to equip and empower students who come from backgrounds shaped by poverty. These are the same kinds of communities I come from.
I was enthusiastic about my role. I even had the opportunity to create an entire concentration focused on public policy and homelessness. The curriculum was informed by both my research and the work I have done for over a decade in the nonprofit space. It included six courses, ranging from Homelessness and Social Stigma to Social Advocacy and Storytelling. Other courses like Community Engagement and Resource Development were designed to help students understand how to use education and community work as tools for collaboration and impact.
It gave me space to teach, but also to help develop future leaders. At the same time, I was working with local agencies to think and dream about new ways to onboard young adults who were unhoused and create real pathways for them to access college.
It was meaningful work, and it gave me a chance to contribute beyond my nonprofit efforts. But I also recognize that recent funding shifts have created an environment where many professors are being laid off. I was one of them. This is unfortunate, but I am not sharing this for attention or pity. I am also not trying to call out any specific institution. I am pointing to something much deeper that is happening across higher education. When you consider this alongside the ongoing government shutdown, it becomes clear that we are living through a moment of real disruption. And we need to pay attention.
I am grateful that my role was in addition to the work I already do, but here are some interesting facts:
Across the country, higher education institutions and federal agencies are laying off thousands, even when the people affected have pivoted, innovated, and taught through crisis. Months ago, Boston University announced 120 job cuts amid a 5% budget contraction.2 On a much larger scale, the U.S. Department of Education recently slashed half its workforce, over 1,300 jobs, unraveling grant systems, civil rights enforcement programs, student aid supports, and here recently even the program that supports students who live with a disability.34
At the same time, the government shutdown is still happening. People are being laid off. Federal employees are going without pay. Critical resources for those in need are going unmet. Nonprofits that rely on federal dollars to serve communities are being forced to pause or scale back. And many are just one unexpected incident away from losing everything.5
This is unsettling, and it should be, for anyone who deeply cares about people.
But even with all of this, I still remain hopeful. I am still committed to the advocacy of education, and even more committed to public scholarship. I am currently developing courses that will be accessible to the general public because I believe we are living in a time where compassion is at a deficit.
These courses will draw from my books and the message of my life, and they will be designed to move people toward action, justice, and deeper understanding (especially those who engage in volunteerism with our org).
I guess I’m writing this because I believe that some of the most difficult times invite us to think differently. They challenge us to meet the moment with innovation, with deeper service, and with a greater hunger to create good in the world.
I have been blessed to do meaningful work and to serve the broader community in ways that align with my purpose, but I know that many others have not had the same opportunity.
As we prepare to launch our third community hub (Zion’s Closet) for students in a Title I school at Love T. Nolan Elementary, I am holding all of this in the back of my mind.
The reminder is clear. We must never stop. I am deeply grateful to still be leading good work through Love Beyond Walls, and to continue traveling, lecturing, and using public scholarship to tell the stories that matter.
I still believe in hope. I still believe in love. I still believe in the power of education to transform lives. I still believe in the strength of community to lift up those who feel isolated and unseen. And I will keep believing and teaching with my whole life.
Because even when we are laid off, the work never stops. See below how you cam help students now.
If you’re looking for a way to get involved immediately:
Purchase items for the new Zion’s Closet wish list and every item goes directly to students and helps us serve hundreds of children in at Love T. Nolan.
Volunteer by signing up to serve with Love Beyond Walls if you are in Atlanta.
Support the book and share it with someone who cares about students (Available Now).
And if nothing else—send prayers and positivity as we continue to do this work.
Guess What?
I’ve been invited to fly to New York next week to share my story on a national talk show. I’ll be talking about the work we’re doing through Love Beyond Walls, and I cannot wait to lift up the voices and the hope behind our movement.
Stay tuned—more details to follow soon! But, whew! It is huge.
NYC Talk
I’m grateful to share that I’ll be doing my next book talk/discussion in NYC next month.
If you are in the New York area, fill free to sign up at the link below.
NYC — Nov. 14th → RSVP here
Notes From The Field w/ Kacey Venning
Not too long ago, I sat down with my friend and colleague Kacey Venning from HEY (Helping Empower Youth) to have a real conversation about what it takes to serve young Black boys and men growing up in communities impacted by concentrated poverty. We also talked about why protecting their dreams matters now more than ever.
Check it out below.
Book Dr. Lester to Speak [HERE]
Listen to the Imgaine Dignity Podcast [HERE]
https://tablecafe.org
Fitzpatrick, Chloe. “Boston University Lays off 120 Employees after Trump-Era Funding Cuts.” Axios Boston, July 7, 2025. https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/07/07/boston-university-layoffs-trump-funding-cuts.
Superville, Darlene. “Education Department Lays Off More Than 1,300 Staffers amid Budget Cuts.” Associated Press, July 6, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/education-department-layoffs-job-cuts-linda-mcmahon-ce9f6a8a63972aede0d8fbdf057ab788.
King, Maya. “Education Department Dismissed Thousands of Civil Rights Cases after Layoffs.” Axios, July 8, 2025. https://www.axios.com/2025/07/08/education-department-civil-rights-cases-dismissed.
NPR. “Layoffs, RIFs, Government Shutdown, Trump.” NPR, October 17, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/10/17/nx-s1-5577691/layoffs-rifs-government-shutdown-trump