Rising Sun ’ s Powerhouse Juanita Douglas : From Trailblazing Tradeswoman to Opportunity-Building Teacher
WOMEN OF THE ALAMEDA COUNTY PS / CBA
Rising Sun ’ s Powerhouse Juanita Douglas : From Trailblazing Tradeswoman to Opportunity-Building Teacher
Emporium Capwell . Still , as a single mother , she was spending more on childcare than she paid in rent and felt compelled to find an occupation that offered better compensation . “ I needed more income to properly take care of my son ,” she recalls . “ At the unemployment office , I saw a flyer announcing union apprenticeships starting at $ 13.50 per hour , which was more than I was making in retail . I learned that I had to go to a local union hall to get what they called ‘ hunting papers ’ and then convince a local union contractor to hire me as an apprentice .”
Juanita Douglas , Senior Manager of Construction & Labor Relations , Rising Sun Center for Opportunity
“ I was fortunate to have two very loving parents , and my mother instilled in me the belief that for every door that closed in my face , eventually , one would open ,” shares Juanita Douglas , Senior Manager of Construction and Labor Relations for Rising Sun Center for Opportunity . Having moved with her family in the 1970s to the primarily Caucasian community of Petaluma in Sonoma County , California , this foundation helped Juanita develop the perseverance needed to overcome multiple barriers , including race and gender bias .
In the 1980s , Juanita worked her way up in retail management to become an assistant buyer at
After being turned away at every construction site she visited , Juanita promptly returned to the union hall early each morning until , as she puts it , “ the union dispatcher got tired of seeing me and gave me a list of federally-funded construction projects – one near where I lived .” While enforcement was often lacking , federallyfunded contracts were supposed to comply with equal opportunity laws related to race and ethnicity since the 1940 ’ s , and related to gender since the 1960 ’ s , so federally-funded projects offered her the best shot of being hired as an apprentice .
“ I still remember the exact date – August 31 , 1984 – that I started my apprenticeship as a commercial carpenter at the General Mail Facility ,” remarks Juanita . “ I was 30 years old
08 - imwis . com