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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 feel I have to overcompensate for being an Asian female
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- Asian
- Law Firm
- Law Firm
- Double Standards
- Jokes
- Stereotyping
- Unwelcoming Environment
In my line of work when I am interfacing with judges or law enforcement, I feel that I always have to overcompensate in terms of asserting myself because I am an Asian woman, especially in a room with white men or just men. It's subtle but when I do assert myself I often get a reaction, particularly from men, as though my presentation was some how wrong. There are always jokes about how I have testosterone.