In recognition of National Women in Construction Week, the Office of Civil Rights spotlights Norma Miller and her substantial contributions to the construction industry.

Countless women and people of color have benefitted from Norma Miller’s enthusiasm, generosity, and experience as an advocate for construction trades. Miller has served in the construction industry for 28 years, first as a master union commercial painter – the first Black woman union painter in Minnesota – now a job developer.

Tracey Jackson and Christa Seaberg of Lunda Construction said, “When Norma transitioned from the field as one of our state’s first female trades painters into a workforce development advocate and educator, she carried the heart of the trades with her. She is one of the strongest and most respected voices championing all people from every facet of life across our industry. Her commitment to helping people succeed isn’t just professional, it’s personal. Norma leads with heart. She shows up. She lifts others.” 

Miller is a whirlwind. She works for the Urban League Twin Cities and is actively involved with Building Strong Communities, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the Minnesota Apprenticeship Advisory Board, and the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Workforce Collaborative, which is an advisory group to MnDOT. Additionally, Miller maintains a large network of contractors and union trades people. These relationships are central to the success and the joy of Miller’s work to help people find employment in construction.

Why is it important to have a national Women in Construction Week? In Miller’s words, “This is a career for women. You can do it, too.” Women are not as visible in the construction trades as men, yet these are women’s jobs also. These are jobs that offer equal pay for equal work with benefits that make it possible, especially for single women, to support themselves well, support their children, buy a house, and build a future. 

“I just love my job,” Miller said. “I get joy helping people into the union. And sometimes, it’s just introducing people to what is possible!”

Miller herself was introduced to trades work when she was a young mother, working as a medical assistant with a college degree. She took note of another woman at her bus stop who dressed in white every day. This woman’s work clothes were clean every morning and dirty every evening. Intrigued, Miller struck up a conversation and discovered that she was a construction carpenter.  

“Go to work clean in the morning and come home dirty in the evening, that’s what I wanted!” Miller said.

That carpenter had trained in a traveling program and encouraged Miller to join. Unfortunately, the trainers soon moved on to another city. Miller, whose children were young, could not follow at the time. Later Miller moved to the east coast and was able to begin an apprenticeship in commercial painting there.

After completing her apprenticeship out east, Miller moved back to the Twin Cities. Because Minnesota requirements differed, Miller had to take an additional third-year course. After a couple of months working at Unpainted Furniture, she was hired by Swanson & Youngdale.

“They gave me a shot,” she said. Miller has been paying it forward ever since.

Now Miller is able to help people get started on a job, give them boots and tools, and even help pay union dues for the first month or two. She is generous with time and mentorship, known for being available with advice for a rough day and celebrating wins. 

“People need things when they’re just starting out,” Miller said. “When I came through, we had to do it all ourselves. I know what it was like.”

Indeed, Miller knows firsthand what it’s like to break discrimination barriers. This is why she is dedicated to the Worksite Cooperation committee of the DBE and Workforce Collaborative, serving as committee chair and working with MnDOT. The Worksite Cooperation committee aims to improve workers’ experience in highway construction. Contractors share their strategies to support women and other workers who are historically underrepresented in highway construction.

Isela Xitlali Gómez of MnDOT Civil Rights, who works closely with Miller, captures her spirit in the following portrait: 

How are you? I’ve been wondering how you’re doing? How is _____?

When you ask those questions with sincerity, when you call folks to check-in at the end of their first week in a pre-apprenticeship program, when you see the news and understand how that intimately impacts folks you work with, when you remember details about a person and why they entered the trades, people open up. They let you know how the new job is going, they mention that they really like their team and their supervisor is encouraging and supportive, or they mention that a coworker keeps making the same disrespectful joke and their supervisor has not intervened. At the end of the day, a respectful workplace culture boils down to relationships. You can’t build relationships without connection.

Let me tell you, Norma Miller, she connects and she cares in all caps.

As chair of the Worksite Cooperation Committee, she is always thinking about the people who have trusted her with their stories about working in the highway heavy industry. As a facilitator, she asks meaningful questions based on real examples and strives for real conversation. She reminds us that respect and cooperation on a jobsite or in a meeting start with saying someone’s name and a how-is-it-going?