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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.
If I had picked the right project, I may still be in the corporation today
- Workplace Unfairness
- Male
- African-American
- Biotechnology/Pharmaceutical
- Left & is now a Small Business Entrepreneur
- Engineering
- Assignments
- Career Development
- Personal Response
My advice is to pick the right projects. If I had picked the right project, I may still be in the corporation today. You've got to pick what you want to do. I knew the other project was going to be hot, but I stayed where I was comfortable because I knew more about that project. The guy who was on the other project is now a manager. That could have been me if I had been on that project

