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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.
Sarah Williams's Experiences
It was my experience of having a kind of slower career trajectory than my colleagues. Even the opportunities I received were slower in some sense than some of my colleagues.
My advice to corporations on how to retain someone like me is to move them around and give them more responsibility and a broader sense of rewards.
My advice to other employees is to do really good work, to develop visibility in the company so people see your work, to build a strong network of allies, to get as much experience as possible and to build operating experience.