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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.
Arab-American doesn't always mean Muslim-American
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- Arab/Arab-American
- Health Care
- Left & is now Self-Employed
- Personal Care & Service
- Cultural Educator
- Religion
- Stereotyping
- Unwelcoming Environment
One of the things I have been trying to make sure of is that Arab-American doesn't always mean Muslim-American. There are times when I am in a situation with a person I am getting to know, I can almost see the relief when they find out that I am a Christian and I was born in the United States. Within the category of Arab-American, it's important to make a distinction. According to the census, the majority of Arab-Americans are Christians. You need to be specific about what you are talking about.