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.
Cultural Differences
It is assumed that African Americans are less intelligent or worldly. When someone is speaking to you and uses a term they assume you are unfamiliar with, they will give you the definition or explanation without you asking for it.
Throughout my experiences in multiple industries, it is my opinion (so far), that people can be very difficult in the workplace when they are competitive and extremely self-interested.
My co-workers ask me about movies or things on TV that I haven't seen. I have been here 13 years, but I don't have time to see all the movies or watch TV. I feel like I will never catch up. There is too much information.
They think I am anti-American, but I am not. If I share something with them and tell them, this is how I see the war in Iraq or how the U.S. support of Isreal is hurting my family, they will say, "Palestine never existed." I have to tell them "my family had to leave their homes when they were young.
There are many reasons we don't fit in at work. Number one: praying on Fridays. Number two: fasting, which goes against a lot of what happens at company functions. Number three: alcohol, which is served at almost every company function. Number four: how to socialize outside of work, which for the most part involves catching a drink after work. It's like trying to catch a train when it is going at a certain speed, sometimes you are able to and sometimes you're not. At least some things I can fit in with, but some things I don't.
At my first interview, I said: "Just to be clear, on Fridays I take a two hour lunch because I need to go pray. Just so you know. I can compensate by coming in early or leaving an hour late. I can work how ever much you want.
If we are ordering pizza in the office, automatically someone will order a vegetarian one because they know I don't eat pork. I know that if someone is organizing a party, they will always make sure that someone will make sure that there is a non-alcoholic drink available for me.
When I left the military, I was in quality assurance. I did statistics, numbers, reports, and that kind of stuff. I'd ask, "How do we feel about these numbers?" My boss said to me, "You're sharing numbers.
I try to stay away from the office politics, but you need to promote yourself internally. Not just to your boss, but to your boss's boss. I was disadvantaged because I come from a military background, where you never really try to interact with senior personnel because you don't want to do or say anything that might cut your boss.
