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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.
Erica Martin's Experiences
I worked in the sales division of a popular entertainment and media company. I was there for almost 10 years before I left because I was being overlooked for promotions.
People want you to believe that you get promoted based on your merits but that's not how it really works.
I joined a tech company as a marketing director and of the 4,000 employees at a similar level as mine, I can't recall another African-American female but I do recall this woman who couldn't stop slapping me in the butt.
Corporate America has a culture and language of it's own that is taught and learned at an early age. The introduction comes at dinner tables when children are young and hear about their parents work or have their parents' bosses over for dinner.