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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 Couldn't Resist"
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- African-American
- Information Technology/Internet
- Left & is now Self-Employed
- Inappropriate Behavior
- Subordinates
- Unbelievable
I joined a tech company as a marketing director and of the 4,000 employees at a similar level as mine, I can't recall another African-American female but I do recall this woman who couldn't stop slapping me in the butt. I don't know what that was about. She was this old, little white woman who didn't report to me but was several levels below me. When I asked her about it she said, "It was there and it was round and I couldn't resist. I'm not a lesbian mind you." I replied, "You need to stop hitting me on my behind."