Browse Stories
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.
I had board members who never spoke to me, never
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- African-American
- Arts/Entertainment/Media
- Left & is now Self-Employed
- Personal Care & Service
- Bad Boss
- Exclusion
- Good Boss
- Invisible
- Low Expectations
I was fortunate. I had an ally in my boss. While the board president was a woman who didn't always trust my abilities, my boss, a man, knew what I could do. We didn't have a managing director for a year, so he let me do it. I had to take the lead. In the history of the organization, the board president was only the second woman to make it to her level. How could I not have respect for her? She did that on hard work. I was raised well by my mama to respect people. But it was very difficult. I had board members who never spoke to me, never. It stayed that way for 13 years. I was going to quit the day my boss retired. I stayed because he asked me to. I stayed for three more years and it was hell.