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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.
You can't ask me to do something illegal
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- African-American
- Banking - Investment
- Considering Leaving
- Health Care
- Bad Boss
- Bullying
- Ethics
- Personal Response
It got to the point where they were tagging some of my staff and asking me to write them up because they were thought of as below-average employees. It was a legal issue. The only reason they were writing this one woman up was because she was an older female who was content in her position. I said, "You can't ask me to do something illegal and I besides, don't agree with it. If you want to write her up, go ahead. But I don't want to do it."