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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.
Glass Ceiling
I was working at a small social service agency for almost ten years when a Caucasian female from the Midwest was hired. She quickly developed a very close relationship with the Caucasian supervisor. There was a conference targeting the African-American community, which I had prepared for but instead of sending me, my supervisor decided to send the new hire. When I tried to speak to him he told me that the new hire showed a lot of potential and he was considering her for the promotion that I was in line for. She went to the conference and two months later she was promoted over me even though I had been there for almost ten years. I was so humiliated, I quit.