Isis Harris
IBEW LOCAL 48 PORTLAND, OR
Isis Harris was born and raised in Portland Oregon. She became a IBEW member in 2013 with Local 48 and entered the NECA-IBEW Inside Wireman Apprenticeship program in 2015. After completing Pre-Apprenticeship training with the Constructing Hope Pre-Apprenticeship Program, she decided on a career in a skilled trade seeking to become a Journeyman Electrician. She is currently a Board Member with Oregon Tradeswomen, Co-Chair of OTI’s Diversity, Equity and inclusion Committee, and a trained Equity Informed Mediator. She advocates for informed understanding with a racial lens in order to facilitate a more diverse and equitable construction culture.
She is featured in the documentary: My Whole Self (2017) and Anti-Bias Training Video Produced by Diamond Law Firm, as well as Challenges and Blessings (2017), a recruitment tool developed by WorkSource Oregon and directed by Diversa Edu. This recruitment tool was designed to educate job seekers about the employment opportunities in the skilled trades. She was also featured in a commercial for the Tradeswomen Career Fair in 2019, that showed her on the job working during her 3rd trimester. The purpose of the commercial was to encourage women to understand the duality of working in the skilled trades but also building and nurturing their family’s futures. Ultimately the mission of volunteerism, and advocasy that Isis has participated in encourages inclusivity, anti-oppressive practices, and equity centered discussions.
She completed a 3yr term as Vice President of the Gus Miller Chapter of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 48.
Isis also previously taught part-time with Portland Community College as a Forklift Instructor with the Maritime Welding Program, and was an Advisory Committee member with MercyCorps NW in 2018.
She is involved with her union and community seeking to educate herself on a range of social and economic justice topics as a union member. Isis was nominated by the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center for the “2017 Woman on the Rise Award” awarded by Oregon Tradeswomen Inc., and is featured on a hallway promotional poster at the NIETC. Isis served on the Historical Black Markers Advisory Committee; the committee was integral in Historical Markers being placed throughout Northeast Portland in recognition of the rich history of number of the black residents that resided in NE Portland, and made history in the neighborhood prior to gentrification.
She has facilitated construction-based workshops with the Tradeswomen Leadership Institute, Helensview Highschool, I-Trades Career Fair, POIC Pre-Apprenticeship Program and within the Oak Creeks Girls Facility with both PCC and the GirlsBuild program. She has visited Coffee Creek Correctional Facility several times with reps from, Oregon Tradeswomen, the NIETC, and the African American Program with the Portland Probation and Parole Dept. She has spoken on panels at the National Electrical Workers Minority Caucus Leadership Conference (Aneheim, CA), the University of Oregon Labor and Education Resource Center’s 40th Anniversary Symposium, for the movie viewing of “Sista in the Brotherhood” filmed by Hearts and Sparks Productions, The City of Portland ‘Women In Construction Conference: A Conference to Educate and Empower’, The Women in Prison Conference (2018), The ‘Women Build Nations’ Conference (Chicago,IL) and The NAMC “Safe from Hate” February 2021 meeting. She is also a member of the Coalition of Black Trades Unionist
She participated as an Advisory Committee Member of the Women's Justice Project, and a cohort graduate of the New Leaders Council, a political organization new to Portland whose mission is to train young, and diverse leaders. She has been featured in Danner Boot ads, Dovetail Women’s Workwear catalog, Architectural Digest, DJC Oregon, Oregon Business Magazine, and interviewed by NPR. In March 2021 Isis was featured in the “Women at Work” Blog published by Dovetail Workwear, participated in a panel of Trade Guest Speakers with Oregon Tradeswomen alongside NIETC staff, and also gave the closing remarks at the Tradeswomen Leadership Institute. She also be spoke on a panel discussion for The Ism-Project, “That Diversity thing” a film adapted monologue based on in-depth research on black Tradeswomen dissecting issues of inclusion, discrimination, Covid-19 practices, and equity within the construction industry.
Isis, a trained Equity Informed Mediator, is passionate about shaping public policy, advocating for equity and inclusion within the construction trades, highlighting issues addressing incarceration and rehabilitation for the common good of all Oregonians, and entrepreneurship as a way to improve working families’ quality of life. She achieves this work via mentorship, union participation, community-based organizations involvement, correctional institution outreach, and grassroot agency coalition building. Below you will find links to several online articles and references for Isis Harris.