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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 do we feel about these numbers
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- African-American
- Latino/a or Hispanic
- Mixed Race
- Health Care
- Left & is now a Small Business Entrepreneur
- Management Consulting
- Cultural Differences
- Fitting In
When I left the military, I was in quality assurance. I did statistics, numbers, reports, and that kind of stuff. I'd ask, "How do we feel about these numbers?" My boss said to me, "You're sharing numbers. People don't feel about numbers." As women of color, everywhere we go we combine worlds. At this job, I was forced into an environment where people are completely fragmented and compartmentalized.