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.
Other
I am a Middle Eastern, younger woman and I was working for an internet marketing company that was run by 2 British Men.
I immediately left the company after coming to my realization.
I would have stayed had I been treated fairly rather than being treated like a second class citizen.
I had a "last straw" moment in October 2006 when I was in a management council meeting with 30+ of my peers and subordinates.
Since my departure for that one week, I have had many positive interactions with my staff, peers and my boss, the CEO.
I would have preferred that the CEO had sought my clarification before passing judgment on something she didn't understand.
Always go the extra mile. You must be assertive, articulate, professional and confident. Maintain your self-respect; once you lose that you lose everything! Model the behavior that you would like to receive.
In my situation, the CEO is female. I can't imagine that a male would have handled this situation the same way, either on the front end and definitely not the follow-up discussion.
