Ligeia Wilkerson: Resilience and Transformation

Ligeia Wilkerson describes joining IBEW Local 11 as a life-changing decision. She believes the union didn’t just give her a job—it saved her life. “It was overwhelmingly hard on my body, because I was nearing 400 pounds. It changed me, because I felt a sense of pride, because now I’m back in the workforce.”

Ligeia joined the apprenticeship program in 2019 and journeyed out three years later as a low voltage electrician. That was five years ago October.

But Ligeia had planned to join the union earlier. After she had her third child, she considered joining. But then she lost two key pillars of her support system: Her grandmother and mother both passed away within six months of each other. Raising her family became Ligeia’s sole focus.

It wasn’t until years later, when her youngest child was old enough, that Ligeia revisited the idea of joining Local 11. Attracted to the union’s “earn while you learn” model, she was also drawn to the camaraderie it offered. The apprenticeship program, though grueling, seemed like the perfect opportunity for her to regain her strength and sense of self.

Most days included waking early, driving from her home in the Antelope Valley to a jobsite, then to the ETI, then back home for homework and time with her family before turning in and doing it all over again.

“I cried for a good six months every day after work, and I just promised myself I would show up every day, and that’s the only thing I could do, is just promise myself to show up and do the best I could. And it got easier and easier, and I fell more and more in love with it. It was the best thing for me.”

She joined the union at the right time. Ligeia’s weight had ballooned to 385 pounds during a period of depression following the loss of her mother and grandmother.

“I’m not ashamed of any part of my journey,” Ligeia said, noting she’s slimmed down to 280 pounds. “My mom and my grandmother, the biggest support system that I had, passed away, and I battled depression. I think I was eating myself to death at one point, just because I didn’t deal with my depression.

“Getting into the Union gave me a redirection, a sense of purpose. I’m a Gen Xer, and I’ve never known anything but working, babysitting at 12, and working summer jobs.”

Working in sound and communications has both been physically and mentally rewarding.

“It was something that I wanted to do to keep my body moving,” she said. “As you age, muscles, you don’t use them, you lose them. I think this is overall a win. You know, mentally challenging, keep me sharp, and then physically challenged to keep my body moving.”

On the job site, Ligeia earned the nickname “Mama G” from her colleagues. As a 44-year-old apprentice, she was among the older recruits, but her age gave her a unique perspective.

“Not old but seasoned,” she joked, now 50. “I’m older and stable. Have lived, raised a family. So I think I bring that to the table. Kind of diplomatic on the job site, I kind of teach the guys like, hey, sometimes you got to choose your battles. I think it was a good thing that I joined when I was older. I’m more aware and I understand better how to fight fights without picking up a club.”

Being one of the few women on the job site presented its own set of challenges. Ligeia had to prove herself and navigate the discomfort some men felt working with a woman in a male-dominated field.

“When guys see women come on the job site, they automatically freeze and think that’s going to be a problem,” she said. “And, you know, you do feel slightly alienated because the guys are trying to figure out how to work around you. My experience, I feel like they were just as afraid to interact and work with me, because they didn’t know if I was going to be overly sensitive, or if I was going to be a woman that didn’t feel like carrying her weight.”

Despite these challenges, Ligeia quickly earned the respect of her colleagues.

“I think that’s the biggest challenge, because you do run into guys that don’t feel like you should be there. They could not understand why I would choose to come into this field when I had a husband that was a provider.”

Ligeia’s commitment to the union goes beyond her own personal growth. She’s an active member of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC) and sits on its Executive Board. She attends national conferences, where she continually seeks to improve her skills.

“I love taking the classes,” she said. “I love taking it back to the job site, things that I’ve learned, and applying things like conflict resolution and how to navigate from apprentice into upper management. And I take those classes just because I want to know how to do things, and I want to know how to do them without stepping on its toes. I’m here for the brotherhood. I am a hard worker, and I respect other people and I want the same.”

Currently, Ligeia works for ACS at the Veterans Administration Hospital on Wilshire Boulevard.

For Ligeia, the union represents more than just a career—it’s a journey of self-discovery and empowerment.

“I wanted something that was challenging for me that I could get over, so I could build self-esteem,” she said. “When you overcome challenges, you build your self-esteem, you build confidence. I needed that at that moment.”