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.
Law Firm
Over the years I have experienced many instances of sexist comments and behavior, including jokes and harassment.
Those work experiences and the surrounding atmosphere made me leave at least 2 employers - both of them actually large non-profit corporations.
I would have stayed if all people had been treated with genuine respect.
I really don't know how to answer this - "be an upper-class, well educated, professional straight white man (without a disability - see below) who professes to be a thoughtful, open-minded person" is probably the real answer, but that isn't too helpful if you aren't one of those things.
I think you should include disability issues with this survey. While the barriers to realizing one's full potential are different for people of color, women, LGBT people, and disabled people, we all face barriers and share some common issues - and for people who fall into more than one of those categories, obstacles are everywhere.
Diana Kaldo
I had a "this is the last straw" moment in a genetics laboratory when, despite doing all the work and having just as much experience as any one else in the lab, I was told my opinion didn't count because I only had a bachelor's degree.
What was the point of working my butt off if there was never going to be any benefit? I left the lab and went back to school.
Anyone would have said, "thank you"
