Black man who used white-sounding name on resume brings name discrimination to light
A Black man filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against a hotel after his job applications went ignored until he changed the name on his résumé to a white-sounding name.
A Black man has filed a discrimination lawsuit against a boutique hotel in Detroit after he said his multiple job applications went ignored — until he changed the name on his résumé to a white-sounding name.
Dwight Jackson said that he applied repeatedly for positions at the Shinola Hotel under his given name between January 2024 and April 2024, according to a legal complaint filed on July 3 in the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan. When he changed the name on his otherwise identical résumé to “John Jebrowski,” according to the suit, Jackson said he was called in for an interview that same week.
According to Jackson’s attorney, Jonathan Marko, Jackson’s work experience includes reception jobs at comparable hotels like the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit.
“It made him question, ‘How many other jobs along the way have I not been given an opportunity for because of the color of my skin,’ and he’s questioning himself, he’s questioning his self worth,” Marko said to NBC News.
The Shinola Hotel in Detroit.Google MapsWhen Jackson later applied twice for similar front desk positions at the hotel, according to the lawsuit, and was contacted for an interview under “a more readily apparent Caucasian name,” John Jebrowski, he concluded that the hotel’s “consideration of candidates was based on the racial appearance of the applicant’s name,” according to the lawsuit. The complaint alleges the Shinola Hotel violated the Michigan Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act on the basis of disparate treatment and retaliation. The policy, established in 1977, secured opportunities to obtain employment, housing, public services and education without discrimination.
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