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.
Family
After my boss had a baby she had to set up an elaborate series of screens surrounding her desk so she could pump breast milk while she was on the phone.
When my family came to visit from Egypt, my boss was actually very supportive. I got yelled at quite a few times for not taking time off. He'd say, "You have to go take care of your parents. They are only here for a couple of weeks." I said I won't drive them to the airport because my brother-in-law could take him.
I was in the corporate world for 15 years. I lost several family members in a two-year period. I had a wonderful boss who offered to keep me on the payroll and let me take time off. After losing so many close to me, I realized what was important, and I didn't want to die at a desk.
I had two young men at home who had never had a mother at home, so it was a opportunity and I took it. Now, I work with Boy Scouts of America. And even though I left, I still work with the black employees group from my old job.
Because I became a top producer and I was rapidly promoted, soon my previous boss and I became peers. He was a regional sales director; I was a regional sales director. I could tell that he assigned my ability to do well to my looks.
One day my son said to me, "Mommy, why am I always the last one picked up after school?" I realized that I was letting all the stuff at work interfere with what mattered most to me. I changed after that.
