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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.
When did the fire go out?
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- African-American
- Computers, Hardware
- Left & is now Self-Employed
- Personal Care & Service
- Bad Boss
- Disillusionment
- Double Life
- Fed Up
- Humiliation
- Last Straw
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'm out. Inside, I was thinking, "Are you going to embarrass me in front of all these people? Hell no." At that moment I split into two people/personalities. I was split between how I was suppose to behave in that moment and my true authentic self. That is when the light went out. My commitment in that meeting was to move the business forward because there were some very expensive people in the room. But when that was done, I was going to pick up my dolls and dishes and go home. My temperament is to tolerate, tolerate, tolerate and then I'm leaving. That was the last thing. I wanted to show them who they were dealing with. I wanted to show them how fast I could get out.