Black Man Sues Detroit Hotel For Discrimination After Receiving Job Interview Once He Changed Name On Résumé

Dwight Jackson is suing the Shinola Hotel in Detroit after claiming that he was offered a job only after he changed the name on his résumé.

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According to CNN , the 27-year-old filed an employment discrimination lawsuit on July 3 because his job application under his real name was denied, but when he applied again under the name “John Jebrowski” with no other changes made to his résumé beyond the dates of employment, he was granted an interview.

Now, Jackson feels the hotel owners violated the Michigan Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in the state.

“Mr. Jackson had applied for a job that he was eminently qualified for,” said Jackson’s attorney, Jon Marko, who revealed that the Shinola Hotel offered his client multiple interviews the week he submitted the “Jebrowski” résumé. In the lawsuit, it reads, “Jackson established that the Defendant’s consideration of candidates was based on the racial appearance of the applicant’s name.”

Between January and April 2024, Jackson served as a “Front Desk Agent” at the Marriott Westin Book Cadillac and David Whitney Hotel in Detroit. He applied for the same role later at Shinola under the alias “John Jebrowski.”

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Marko noted, “To be denied a job in 2024 in your hometown, for the color of your skin, goes beyond dollars and cents. It goes into the psyche of a person.”

Jackson attended the job interview and revealed his identity before confronting the interviewer and claiming he wasn’t initially offered the interview because his name was Black. “Shortly after Jackson underwent the interview process, he was informed that he was no longer a viable candidate for the position,” reads the lawsuit.

Anna Stancioff, who is the senior corporate director of PR and brand communications at the hotel’s operating partner, Sage Hospitality Group, said in a statement, “We take this allegation very seriously and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. 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 did confirm that it’s often tough to prove racial discrimination in terms of name bias, but Jackson “wants to shed light on this problem that’s not just isolated at the Shinola Hotel, not just isolated in Detroit or Michigan, but across the country. He wants to make sure that it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

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