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.
Inappropriate Comments
I was with a male coworker whom I got along great with and we were both doing well. We knew we were both about to receive a $10,000 bonus for doing such a great job with a huge project.
Over the years I have experienced many instances of sexist comments and behavior, including jokes and harassment.
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 overheard my superiors refer to me as being stupid to the client that I introduced to the firm. After that I tried to salvage my relationship with the client, however it was too late.
If only I had listened to my gut instinct. From the cubicle culture to the constant zero-sum gamesmanship, my time spent with this employer was more like an endurance test than a job.
While working at my last job, I was constantly having to deal with a boys' club mentality. The fact that the other female team-mate and I were excluded was very apparent when we overheard the rest of the team planning to take another team-member out to lunch for his birthday.
In 2005, a corporate executive spotted another executive coming towards him in the hallway. Both of the executives were white males, over the age of 50.
I had a run-in with a prima donna coworker who was not really liked by many, but was valued by the executives because he brought in a significant portion of the business.
At my former job, I experienced sexual harassment from a senior employee. I was not the only female in the office to be on the receiving end of inappropriate comments, jokes and touches, but I was the only person to report this to Human Resources.
When I first started at my current job, one particular older gentleman took to calling me "kid", which I didn't appreciate.
