Black women in North Carolina are being pushed out of the workforce. LaToya Lowery is speaking up.

The tl;dr

• Between February and May of 2025, nearly 300,000 Black women left the labor force.
  
• According to a recent employer survey, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts have been slashed in 20% of companies since President Trump’s reelection.
  
• A report from the National Women’s Law Center shows that federal staffing reductions under this presidential administration have directly targeted women of color’s participation in the workforce, with women and people of color being overrepresented in agencies chosen to be slashed.
  
• LaToya Lowery of Charlotte, NC, is facing life-threatening health challenges, eviction, and car repossession just months after being laid off and is speaking out about the targeted decimation of her field.
  
• If LaToya Lowery doesn’t raise $3000 by Tuesday August 19, she’s going to be evicted. You can contribute to her expenses here: https://womenadvance.betterworld.org/campaigns/keep-latoya-being-evicted. 

LaToya Lowery, of Charlotte, lost her job in January of 2025, the second time in two years that she had been laid off. She has her Masters, an extensive resume, and has never met a stranger.  LaToya Lowery is a born networker – so she prayed that she could find something soon and get back on her feet doing what she loves: running community programs, administering grants, and advocating for economic mobility in disenfranchised communities.

But between February and May of 2025, nearly 300,000 Black women left the labor force. 

Here’s why:

According to a recent employer survey, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts have been slashed in 20% of companies since President Trump’s reelection. Of those companies, over 60% are reporting hiring fewer “underrepresented”  (non white, heterosexual and cisgender, able-bodied, and male) employees. Recent losses of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts have also been associated with reports of lower employee morale and increased reports of discrimination and bias in the workplace. 

Not only that, but a report from the National Women’s Law Center shows that federal staffing reductions under this presidential administration have directly targeted women of color’s participation in the workforce, with women and people of color being represented at the highest rates in federal agencies chosen to be slashed. Reports also show Black women had been represented in the federal workforce at almost double the rate of their employment in the general workforce up until this administration.

In the past seven months, LaToya has applied for hundreds of jobs, been ghosted by just as many potential employers, and is actively facing eviction every day – all while dealing with stress induced chronic illness flare ups that have landed her in the hospital just about every other week.

It’s clear that opportunities for Black women in this economy have dried up at a dizzying rate. To make matters worse, Black women’s hourly income in the United States is already, on average, less than two-thirds of white men’s. Add that to the fact that nearly 50% of people in our country live paycheck to paycheck, and it gets pretty easy to understand how dire the circumstances are for someone who’s laid off in a field that has been absolutely decimated right now. 

The impact of that on a human level? Well, Lowery would tell you herself – it’s pretty bleak. She needs to raise $3000 by Tuesday, or she’s going to be evicted and her car’s going to be repossessed.  It’s enough to make you want to give up on life. And it’s enough for her inflammatory chronic conditions to flare up, leaving her in so much pain that she’s bed-ridden most days. Her joints and limbs are so swollen that she doesn’t recognize her body from months ago. 

Lowery is battling severe endometriosis and gallstones. But on top of that she has tennis elbow and can barely move her arm. And she just learned she needs to be biopsied for cancer next week. She just wants time and space to heal. Instead, it feels like the stress is killing her.

Research shows that chronic stress is already an underlying cause in chronic illness among marginalized and economically disenfranchised populations. Studies also show that housing instability has been linked to poor health outcomes, including raised blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. 

The stress of facing eviction day in and day out? Not knowing how you’re going to keep the lights on? That sort of thing isn’t good for anyone, mentally or physically – especially someone like Lowery who already has underlying chronic conditions and a lifetime of stress trying to advocate for people in her communities experiencing injustice.

On Friday morning, I got a text from Lowery, “Girl I just got my power disconnection notice.” Hours later, she texted, “Back in the hospital smh.”

But no matter how bleak things look, Lowery fiercely relies on her faith in God and her community that she will be able to heal and survive. She remains more committed than ever to serving her communities with her wide array of skills. 

To help LaToya Lowery, you can donate via Women AdvaNCe at this link: https://womenadvance.betterworld.org/campaigns/keep-latoya-being-evicted.  All funds will be used to assist Lowery with her rent, car, and utilities payments. 

To learn more about Black women leaving the workforce, you can read this piece by MSNBC and read this report from the National Women’s Law Center.

LaToya Lowery serves on the Women AdvaNCe Mapping the Movement Advisory Board. She is an economic mobility expert living in Charlotte, NC with a passion for storytelling, serving people with intellectual disabilities, and increasing access to housing. 

Emily Hagstrom is the Executive Director of Women AdvaNCe. She is a North Carolina native and passionate advocate for social, economic, and environmental justice. She lives in Hendersonville, NC with her fiancee and rescue kitties.