Portland State University Assistant professor Roberta Hunte’s dissertation is the basis for My Walk Has Never Been Average, a play that reveals the stories of black women in construction. Hunte’s unique research includes the profiles of 15 black, female construction workers. One of them is Donna Hammonds, who shared her challenges working in the male-dominated field:

“She recounts one incident where she believed she was welding at 20 amps, but someone snuck around and amped her tool up to 150. ‘Sparks were flying. Fire everywhere. I thought my hair was on fire,’ says Hammond, who also recalls an electrician who avoided the appearance of working with her by making her “walk 10, maybe five paces behind him.” Men were not ...