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.
Last Straw
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.
I suppose you could say I had a last straw moment. After 15 years, my boss was pushed out, a man younger than me with less experience and education was brought in and soon let me go as he took over my responsibilities.
I worked in corporate Human Resources for a mid-sized company. I enjoyed the people I worked with, but didn't agree with a lot of the company's practices.
I had a "this is the last straw" moment...While working for a large, nation-wide consulting firm, my mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 liver Cancer.
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.
I was in a meeting where 8 or 9 people were arguing for over 15 minutes about what color the stripe on a the bag of marshmallows should be.
My last straw came when they took this guy who was sort of my counterpart who was pretty incompetent and they made him my boss. So that, in combination with the fact that I could get a severance package, was convincing.
What broke the camel's back: I became a director of the non-profit organization that deals with industry standards, an organization that I worked on in my own free time. My name came up to become VP of the prestigious non-profit.
When did the fire go out? When I went to the company I had fire. I gave up my weekends. I gave up my nights. I thought this was going to be such the thing. But after a while reality set in. I remember being in a meeting with a bunch of people and after I made a comment, my manager stood up and said, "Sometimes we just have to shut up so decisions can be made." I remember thinking in that instant, I'm leaving.
