Pat had responded to an ad online about environmental work. She loved volunteering in community events and was heavily involved with various Non-profit organizations. She was currently President of a Non-profit and worked on many campaigns for state and public officials. Therefore she was very familiar with the position of a canvasser. So she immediately set up an interview. They were so impressed with her skills and background, that she was hired on the spot.
Pat returned to work that next day excited and eager to start her new job. The first day is what they call the day of observance. She was not the only new hire that day so she would not be training alone. First she and the other new hire were given an overview of the company and their job description. Afterwards they had to rehearse the script that they would have to pitch to people as they canvassed various neighborhoods. They didn't quite have the script memorized but they had familiarized themselves with it.
Once that was complete they met up with all the other employees and then were assigned to their areas. Pat was assigned to an area that was predominantly white in another city. She was at first a little uncomfortable because she was the only black female and had been paired up with a white male who was well over 6feet tall. But she really wanted to work so she just rolled with the punches.
The group Pat was with consisted of 5-people1 white male, 1 black male, and two white females and Pat. Pat was being trained by John who was also one of the organizations directors. As the group reached their destination they were a little about the weather as it looked like a storm was lurking. So they designated a checkpoint to meet back at if the weather got bad and the driver would be there to pick them up. So everyone went off on there separate ways to canvass the neighborhood.
As John and Pat began to walk together Pat noticed that she was often left lagging behind. Pat is 4feet 11.5 inches tall and her strides are way shorter than John's who's over 6feet tall. She could sense that he was becoming annoyed but she was walking as fast as she could.
So eventually he has asked her if she would wait at the beginning of the driveways of each home as he walked up to the door. Pat was supposed to be shadowing John to observe what he was doing and learning from him so basically she was unable to do that because he felt she was holding him up. The trainee was slowing down the trainer, isn't that why training is incorporated so that the trainee can eventually work at the same capacity as the trainer? Well after about 20 minutes of leaving her at driveway entrances they came upon a street that was a dead end.
He told Pat that he felt that she needed to rehearse the script alone. So he found her a spot under a tree and wanted her to sit upon a rock for 2 hours studying the script. He said that he was going on to finish his work and that in about 2 hours he would come back for her. Pat was in shock! It was about 90 degrees, she was miles away from home, she had no phone, no food, no water, and she was basically stranded. After about 30 minutes or so it began to get really gloomy and sounds of thunder was rumbling so she headed to the checkpoint which was about s half a mile from where she was.
When she got there no one had showed up. It was now pouring down rain and she waited, and waited. Finally another one of the group members arrived and she waited for about a half-hour and then left to go back to the area she was working, someone had previously invited her into their home, which was against the rules. So after waiting for well over an hour the rain and wind started to subside and Pat had to use the bathroom.
There was not a single public place in site where she could use the bathroom and she knew that it was against the rules to enter anyone's home but she really had to use the bathroom. She knew people would give her a hard time because she had no proof that she was working for an environment organization; she had no uniform, or any other representation, and she was a little black girl in a white neighborhood. She began to ask people if she could use their bathroom and she was given excuses such as, it's out of order, and we don't allow strangers in our home.
