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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.
Jory Vincent's Experiences
I remember getting the corporate job after graduate school and feeling like I had won the lottery. My mom was telling everyone at bridge meeting for a long time that I had gotten into the company. It was a feather in her cap.
When did the fire go out? When I went to the company I had fire. I gave up my weekends. I gave up my nights. I thought this was going to be such the thing. But after a while reality set in. I remember being in a meeting with a bunch of people and after I made a comment, my manager stood up and said, "Sometimes we just have to shut up so decisions can be made." I remember thinking in that instant, I'm leaving.
I was working with a person who was selling the company something. He came to the corporate office to sell me something and he called me to meet him in the lobby. I came downstairs and he was standing there looking like he was thinking, "Where is she?" I walked up to him and he was like, "Jory? Jory?" I could tell by the look on his face that something in his head wasn't lining up.