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.
Medical Leave
Working in Corporate America as a Black, gay man with AIDS feels like fighting a war I can't see
I lost my corporate job while I was in the Hospital in 1995 being treated for AIDS. My Company was in a process of down-sizing, however I was informed that they were going to keep me.
Within six months of my new job, I found out I was pregnant. I told my boss, "I'm so happy. I'm pregnant." My boss quit talking to me for a week. It was very strange because we were so close. So I pulled him aside and asked, "What's wrong here? Why aren't you talking to me?" He said, "Well, you know, you were my walk-on-water.
All this was going on while my mother's health was in decline. I was also mentally preparing for surgery. Then there was a snafu with the insurance and they declined my surgery. It turned out there was some paperwork that wasn't submitted.
