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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.
Was I hired because I'm black?
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- African-American
- Retail
- Non-Profit
- Diverse Workforce
- Diversity Initiatives
- Interviews
I went through six interviews my first summer during business school and afterwards I compared notes with other students who interviewed with the same employers. My classmates were given marketing case studies to discuss during their interviews while the same employers only discussed issues of diversity during my interview. Why didn't they ask me about case studies? Did they think I wouldn't be able to answer them? Had they already decided to hire me because I am black? You will not get to know who I am if you only look at me in terms of race; there is so much more to me. Yes, diversity is important to me, but if you look at me as only that, I know instantly I am being recruited to be on the diversity committee.