The US needs more electricians to install renewable energy and electric vehicle chargers. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. "Many contractors refused to work with me because I was a woman," Hicks told Insider. Hicks has spent her career trying to make the industry more inclusive for women of color. Only 2% of electricians are women, federal data shows , and nearly 80% are white.

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Persons: Tonya Hicks, Hicks, Qmerit, Biden, Tom Bowen, we're, Bowen, they're Organizations: Service, Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Power Solutions, of Labor Statistics Locations: Mississippi, Atlanta, California