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.
Personal Response
This experience has made me more aware of other people's differences and I make sure that I am polite to others when I respond that I am __ and not the person they thought I was.
I had a "last straw" moment in October 2006 when I was in a management council meeting with 30+ of my peers and subordinates.
I would have stayed in the entire event did not occur. I ended up staying on for as long as I could because the market was tight at that time and the money I was making was great.
I learned to shake hands like a man with a firm grip and to speak louder and with more conviction. In some ways, that experience helped me to become less invisible and more grounded in my own power.
After my boss had a baby she had to set up an elaborate series of screens surrounding her desk so she could pump breast milk while she was on the phone.
I was groomed to ascend to executive status in a fast track management program for an international financial institution.
Look for mentors inside and outside the company. And make sure that you have regular contact with peers and mentors outside your company who can give you a realistic perspective.
If you are a person of color or a woman, corporate America can steal a bit of your soul. It takes a certain kind of person to work in that environment. Once, I spoke at an African-American young professional association event and I told the guests, "Those of you who can work in corporate America and maintain a certain level of dignity, God bless you because it's not for me, I can't do it."
Being black in this country, we wear two masks, one which we wear when we are amongst friends and family and another when we are in the corporate world.
I came across a racist email that was being circulated by my colleagues which was titled, "10 Things That You Know Someone is Black.
