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Vote on Desiree Davidson's Story
Were they afraid we were planning a coup d'etat?
I spent my first summer during Columbia Law School at a firm in Philadelphia described as one of the best places in the city for black lawyers. I believed that if there was any place where I would have an equal chance at opportunities, be treated fairly and succeed, this would be it. There were three black female summer associates out of sixty that year but any time all three of us were in an office talking, one of the partners would knock on the door to see how we were doing. It happened too often to be a coincidence that sometimes we would purposely agree to meet in so-and-so's office to test our theory that we were being monitored. Like clock work, ten minutes after we would get together a partner would stop by.
Brigitte Burlington's Experiences
The company started recognizing that they needed to retain and attract minority women. I became part of their advisory board. I had a lot of exposure to senior level officers and I think a lot of them recognized the importance of diversity.
When our company got bought out, there were a lot more white ignorant people. When I went to present at the first meeting I had with the new VP, he asked me if I could pour coffee. I thought, "I'm the marketing director and you want me to pour coffee?" I put myself in his place and I thought, "Well, that's probably what he is used to seeing." So I introduced myself to him.
Every afternoon I'd be in Texas you'd have to drink beer after work or at lunch. I start drinking beer, just because that was the thing to do. They'd be on their sixth beer and I'd still be sipping my first one.
I was working for this woman who unfortunately had my same name. So she announced at our first staff meeting that I would go by Brig and she would go by Brigette. I said, "Excuse me. I was born with this name and I'm going to keep it." She said, "Okay.
This one woman would never give me credit for my work. I would have to write the presentations, but she would get to present them. Then she would call me up to ask me about the information she was presenting, when she was supposed to know it.
Now I've left that nonprofit too. They had a lot of doubt about me because I wasn't from the nonprofit sector. They would say, "You don't know how to do this. This is nonprofit."There were a lot of unethical things happening at this nonprofit.