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Desiree Davidson
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.

Should she stay or go?

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Niggardly wage

Betty Duncan
Betty Duncan

When I was at my previous company, I knew there was going to be a huge lay off. I was talking to one of the ladies who was getting laid off and I had to pretend like I didn't know. We were going over things. She had been there 20-25 years. They were going to hire some people as consultants who had been laid off. She talked about this and she said, "I'm not going to take a niggardly wage." I wasn't paying attention but I heard "niggardly wage." I knew the word. I just stood there and backed up into the cubicle wall. She just continued to talk as though she had said nothing but "pass the salt." It seemed like a half an hour, but it was probably just a few sentences before I asked, "What did you just say?" "When?" Maybe she is accustomed to saying "niggardly" but I'm not accustomed to people to use that word in my presence. I don't use the word "nigger" and for a white woman to use "niggardly" and attach it to the word "wage." I couldn't believe it. It's almost as though your mind protects you against things. So I had her do a rewind. After I called her on it, she knew. "Niggardly wage," I said. She said, "It's in the dictionary." She thought it was justified because it was in the dictionary. I said, "You know better than to use that word. I have to go sit down." I went back to my desk. I must have been visually shaken. I just didn't know what to do. My DNA and every molecule in my body had to process this. A co-worker came over and asked if I was okay. I told her what happened and that I didn't know what to do. She told me to go upstairs and talk to our boss, who I had a really good rappor with. She said, "If I don't see you go up there in ten minutes, I'm going to go tell her myself." The woman who used the word came over to me and asked, "Are you upset with me?" And I told her I just couldn't talk to her. I went up and told this woman. The VP of the company came to me in about an hour and a half with a formal apology from the company. He stood there and read it to me. There was absolutely no tolerance at all. I just could not accept her apology - but the thing is, it wasn't genuine. She attempted to apologize twice. I just said to her, "Don't talk to me."

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