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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.
You want me to pour coffee?
- Workplace Unfairness
- Female
- African-American
- Asian
- Native American
- Telecommunications
- Left & is now a Small Business Entrepreneur
- Arts/Entertainment/Media
- Acquisitions
- Cultural Shift
- Mistaken Identity
- Personal Response
- Stereotyping
When our company got bought out, there were a lot more white ignorant people. When I went to present at the first meeting I had with the new VP, he asked me if I could pour coffee. I thought, "I'm the marketing director and you want me to pour coffee?" I put myself in his place and I thought, "Well, that's probably what he is used to seeing." So I introduced myself to him. I said, "I'm Brigette and I'm here to make a presentation." He looked at me, and the color drained out of his face. He was genuinely embarrassed. He probably came from a well-to-do family and that was all he was used to seeing-people of color in service positions.