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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.
"How would you feel about reporting to me?"
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- Latino/a or Hispanic
- Health Care
- Left & is now Self-Employed
- Health Care
- Coworker
- Insubordination
- Personal Response
- Unbelievable
Shortly my colleague came on board, she came to me and said, "Salona, how would you feel about reporting in to me?" She had been at the institute for four years. I had been there 12. At that point I said, "I think our conversation is over." Over the weekend, I thought I was going to have a stroke, because I couldn't believe her audacity. Talk about white privilege! My husband said, "If she beats you at this, then she deserves to be your boss." I called my boss to see if he was behind this. He wasn't. She was let go within six months.