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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 advice to employers
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- Caucasian
- Lesbian
- Engineering
- Left & is now Self-Employed
- Banking - Investment
- Advice to Company
My advice to employers is to make same benefits/services available to all employees regardless of sexual orientation or family status, have a strong culture of non-acceptance of discriminatory behavior, language, jokes, etc., create an environment where everyone feels welcome to share family photos or discuss personal life without reprisal or harassment and create a culture that values the individual.