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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.
Workplace Diversity: As Much Diversity as in a Sorority?
The reason diversity is important to me is that without it I feel isolated. If people are pretty much similar in terms of looks, attitudes, thoughts and social settings then I feel I'm outside the circle. Being at a major retail company was like being in a sorority. It wasn't just a clique because there was a process to getting in. You had to do certain things and like certain things. The benefits of being in the sorority were the promotions and opportunities you would get. Once during a meeting a merchandiser was presenting her ideas for women's apparel and the CEO shot her down saying, "How can you tell us what women will want to wear when you're dressed like that?"