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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.
I could see all of the white eyes in the room pan and turn to me
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- African-American
- Banking - Investment
- Considering Leaving
- Health Care
- Bad Boss
- Inappropriate Comments
- Unbelievable
- Unwelcoming Environment
In one of my first jobs as an accountant, I was the only black woman in accounting. It was during an office celebration for a holiday or something that one of the vice presidents started telling a story about a taxi ride. It involved a discussion with a nigger. I was sitting there fuming. I could see all the white eyes in the room pan and turn to me. I was thinking, "Oh my god! He didn't just tell this story with me in the room!" When you have your first experience like that, what do you do? I know he knew something was wrong with me and he tried to repair it by offering me a ride home. I thought, "There is nothing you can say to correct this." I even thought maybe he was giving me a ride home so he could see my neighborhood.