A Black man in Detroit, Michigan, has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against a hotel. He claims that the hotel only considered him for a job interview after he changed his name on his resume. The lawsuit was filed by Dwight Jackson on July 3 against the Shinola Hotel. Initially, he was denied a job when he applied under his real name. However, he later received an interview opportunity after changing his name to “John Jebrowski,” per CNN.
According to the suit obtained by the news outlet, Jackson claims that he was denied a job, which is said to be in violation of the “Michigan Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act.”
From January to April 2024, 27-year-old Jackson applied for various positions at the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit. Jon Marko, Jackson’s attorney, who is a civil rights lawyer said, “Mr. Jackson had applied for a job that he was eminently qualified for.” Despite being qualified, Shinola Hotel failed to contact him back regarding an interview.
In April 2024, Jackson decided to reapply to the Shinola Hotel after not receiving any response to his initial applications. This time, he used the name “John Jebrowski” and submitted nearly identical resumes. The lawsuit alleges that he was offered numerous interviews within a week.
According to the suit, “Jackson established that the Defendant’s consideration of candidates was based on the racial appearance of the applicant’s name.”
A spokesperson for the hotel said in a statement,
“We take this allegation very seriously and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.“
Marko stated that Jackson went to the job interview and confronted the interviewer. He disclosed his true identity and expressed his belief that he was not given an interview initially due to his traditionally African American name.
