Terri Patterson Oral History
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Dublin Core
Title
Terri Patterson Oral History
Description
Terri Patterson is a structural ironworker with Ironworkers Local 25 and a third generation Native American ironworker. In this interview Terri describes the apprentice program and the classes. Many of her male relatives are in the field and she describes some of her experiences working with them. Patterson emphasizes that feminism and women’s rights never played a role or affected her desire to work in the iron field and that her relatives in the trade, her tomboy nature, and appearance probably factored into her success. Patterson questions her future in the profession as she is not sure how much longer she wants to work in the field because of the physical abuse the work inflicts on her body. Patterson mentions her activity in the union and closes the interview with her hopes for the future including plans to run for sergeant at arms, get involved as a mentor to female apprentices, and to form a support group for women ironworkers.
Oral History Item
Interviewer
Raucher, Margaret; Advisory Group Members
Interviewee
Patterson, Terri, 1971-
Date Recorded
2006-03-06
Coverage
Owosso, MI; 1996-2005
Citation
“Terri Patterson Oral History,” Michigan Oral History Database, accessed April 2, 2025, http://www.database.michiganoha.org/items/show/1872.