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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.
My supervisor tried to stick with me with the night shift
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- African-American
- Information Technology/Internet
- Education
- Assignments
- Double Standards
We were all receiving our shift assignments and everyone was getting Monday through Friday schedules from 8 to 4:30. Then I was told I was going to be on-call and I would be working during the night. I was the only four-year college graduate other than the supervisor and I was the only black person. I told them I wasn't going to take the shift and they were stunned. I sat the supervisor down and told her this was because I was black.

