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.
Government
I have a co-worker whose office is next to mine. We both have braids in our hair and are dark-skinned.
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 would prefer that I were included in various decisions that affected me and others.
My insider's guide would be that you need to understand the culture prior to determining how you can be included in the organization.
I was hired as a recruiter to bring in more Asian Americans but when I pushed for more resources to recruit in the Asian American community my boss said, "You're not behaving like the Japanese women at my church.
I was talking to my boss once and he got a phone call. After he hung up he looked at me and said, "I just hate Filipino accents.
Many times I've inquired about jobs or had initial interviews by telephone. When I've been invited in for secondary interviews, people have actually said to me, "You didn't sound very black" or "I didn't know you were a black woman.
I was working at a small social service agency for almost ten years when a Caucasian female from the Midwest was hired.
