Portland-born Harley Bird grew up in Wichita, KS and moved to Seattle in 1959. A graduate of Garfield High School, he earned a Track & Field scholarship to Eastern Washington State College. After two years of college, a summer job at Boeing changed the trajectory of his life and he became Boeing’s first Black supervisor of production in Seattle. Bird’s introduction to activism took place as business manager for the Central Contractors Association, later the United Construction Workers Association. The organization brought lawsuits against discriminatory practices in building trades. As a contracts compliance officer for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Civil Rights Division, Bird developed a national policy for inclusion of minority workers. He also received a national silver medal for guidelines and regulations created through his work to ensure minority employment and contracting opportunities on EPA projects. As vice president of the Black-owned Sphere Management, Bird helped Black families in Seattle earn a living wage.