Black Man Files Employment Discrimination After He Got Interview Following Name Change

Black Man Files Employment Discrimination After He Was Forced To Change His Name To Get Interview

A Black man Dwight Jackson, in Detroit, Michigan, is going viral after filing an employment discrimination lawsuit against a hotel. Dwight claims that the hotel only offered him a job interview after he changed his name on his resume.

In the lawsuit filed on July 3 against the Shinola Hotel, Dwight claimed he was initially denied a job when he applied under his real name, but later received an interview opportunity after changing his name to John Jebrowski.

The 27-year-old man claims that he was denied a job, which is said to be in violation of the “Michigan Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act,” according to the documents obtained by CNN. Jackson applied for various positions at the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit from January t April 2024.

The man’s attorney Jon Marko, who is a civil rights lawyer said, “Mr. Jackson had applied for a job that he was eminently qualified for.” Shinola Hotel didn’t contact him back regarding an interview despite being qualified.

 

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Dwight then decided to reapply to the Shinola Hotel in April 2024, after not receiving any response to his initial applications. However, he changed his name this time, using “John Jebrowski” and submitted nearly identical resumes. Surprisingly, he was offered numerous interviews within a week.

Jackson established that the Defendant’s consideration of candidates was based on the racial appearance of the applicant’s name, according to the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for the hotel has since reacted to the issue. “We take this allegation very seriously and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” the spokesman said in a statement.

Jackson’s attorney said the 27-year-old went to the job interview and confronted the interviewer, disclosing his true identity. He expressed his belief that he was not given an interview initially due to his traditionally African American name.