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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.
She said I had a Masters from Howard
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- African-American
- Telecommunications
- Computers, Hardware
- Business Travel
- Stereotyping
- Unbelievable
- Unwelcoming Environment
I was making a presentation in Northern Colorado. Driving into town they told me that they had just taken down the sign that said, "No Dogs and Blacks After Dark." This was 1995. I thought, "Wow! This is strange." Before I got there, they had faxed my bio ahead of time so they could make an introduction. So time came for me to give the presentation, the woman at the podium, gave my introduction. But she said I had a Masters from Howard. I have a Masters from Harvard. Afterwards, I asked about it. She said there was a wrinkle in the paper.