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.
Susan Roberts's Experience
I was presenting at a meeting. I'm a loud person and I was presenting in a large room, I increased my volume. They asked if I wanted a microphone. I asked, "Do I need a microphone?" The person in the back of the room said no.
On Halloween, I was walking into the headquarters office. I didn't have a costume on, but there were two people in costume who walked in before me. They just strolled right in. Here I am, in my suit with my briefcase, looking like I belong there, and I am wearing my badge, but it is flipped around.
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.
I was making a presentation in Northern Colorado. Driving into town they told me that they had just taken down the sign that said, "No Dogs and Blacks After Dark." This was 1995. I thought, "Wow! This is strange." Before I got there, they had faxed my bio ahead of time so they could make an introduction.