Dwight Jackson Detroit black man sues Shinola Hotel for racial discrimination alleging he was only granted a job interview after changing his name to sound white after previous employment applications were ignored.
What if he were Hispanic or Asian would he still have been overlooked? Or was one job applicant passed over for other arbitrary reasons which had nothing to do with race?
A Black man has initiated an employment discrimination lawsuit against a luxury Detroit, Michigan hotel, alleging that he only received a job interview after changing the name on his resume to sound more ‘white’.
Dwight Jackson, 27, an experienced hotel worker filed the lawsuit against the Shinola Hotel on July 3, claiming he was initially rejected when he applied under his real name, only to receive an interview offer after reapplying with the alias, ‘John Jebrowski.’
Overlooked for sounding black?
The lawsuit which seeks damages and legal costs argues that Jackson’s rejection violated the Michigan Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act.
The suit alleges Jackson suffering stress, humiliation, emotional damages and economic damages due to the incident and that a court may deem ‘appropriate’ compensation along with costs.
Between January and April 2024, Jackson, who had a number of years experience working in the hotel industry, submitted applications for various positions at the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit, including for a reception role. According to its website, the Shinola Hotel describes itself as a ‘luxury’ establishment.
Jon Marko, Jackson’s attorney, shared Jackson’s resume with CNN, showing his consistent work history, including roles as a ‘Front Desk Agent’ at Detroit’s Marriott Westin Book Cadillac and David Whitney Hotel, both of which describe themselves as luxury hotels.
‘Mr. Jackson was well-qualified for the job he applied for,’ Marko, a civil rights attorney, told CNN. Despite this, the Shinola Hotel did not offer Jackson an interview.
Overlooked for not being a white job applicant?
After receiving no responses to his initial applications, Jackson reapplied in April 2024, making a significant change to his application — his name.
The lawsuit states that Jackson applied twice for similar positions under the more Caucasian-sounding alias ‘John Jebrowski,’ using nearly identical resumes. The only difference between the resumes was the dates of previous employment.
Within the same week, the ‘black applicant’ told of receiving multiple interview offers after switching to the ‘white’ sounding name.
The lawsuit asserts that ‘Jackson demonstrated that the Defendant’s candidate consideration was influenced by the racial implication of the applicant’s name.’ Marko commented, ‘Being denied a job in 2024 because of the color of your skin impacts more than just financials; it affects one’s psyche.’
Anna Stancioff, Senior Corporate Director of PR & Brand Communications for Sage Hospitality Group, which operates the Shinola Hotel, responded in an email, ‘We take this allegation very seriously and do not tolerate any form of discrimination. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone has the opportunity to succeed and are dedicated to building a diverse workforce that reflects the community.’
Marko explained that Jackson attended the job interview and confronted the interviewer, revealing his true identity and his belief that he was initially overlooked because his name sounded traditionally African American.
‘Shortly after Jackson completed the interview process, he was informed that he was no longer a viable candidate,’ the lawsuit states.
Racial discrimination hiring ‘black’ employees
Marko noted that employment discrimination is not uncommon and that, as a civil rights attorney, ‘We have seen a lot of hiring discrimination, particularly against minorities and those with minority-sounding names.’
A recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research highlighted the prevalence of name bias in hiring by large U.S employers. Researchers sent identical resumes to 108 U.S. employers and found that those with Black male and Black female names received the fewest callbacks.
Marko acknowledged that proving name bias cases is challenging, and many do not progress due to insufficient evidence. However, Jackson’s case stands out because he applied twice for similar positions with nearly identical resumes, yielding different results when using an alias.
Marko also said there has been a public outcry about the hotel’s hiring practices since news of his client’s lawsuit was filed, detroitnews reports.
‘I’m not going to get into attorney work product, but we have received numerous calls from concerned citizens,’ he said. ‘We expect other people who have been discriminated against by the hotel to join this case. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire and there certainly appears to be a blaze here.’
Jackson according to the suit aims to highlight that racial discrimination is not just isolated to the Shinola Hotel, Detroit, or Michigan, but is a nationwide problem. The plaintiff wants to ensure it doesn’t happen to others.
