Sigh… in yet another example of how Black people struggle navigating the job seeking process, a Black Detroit man is suing a luxury hotel for allegedly denying his application, only to hire him for a ridiculous reason.
Dwight Jackson, 27, told CNN he applied for several openings at the luxury Shinola Hotel located in downtown Detroit. With a resume stacked with work experiences from multiple hotels, it’s safe to assume he had confidence in obtaining another position as a front desk agent. However, Jackson said he received no callbacks even after submitting his resume an additional time.
Then, he did what some Black people jest about in reference to securing a position quicker. Jackson’s lawsuit states he tweaked the dates of his previous job experiences and most notable, changed his name on his resume to a “Caucasian” sounding name: John Jebrowski. Just like that, the suit claims he received a call for an interview. And yes, he went in for it.
Read what happened next from CNN:
According to [attorney Jonathan] Marko, Jackson attended the job interview and confronted the interviewer at Shinola Hotel. He revealed his real identity and expressed his belief that he was not given an interview initially because his name appeared more traditionally African American.
“Shortly after Jackson underwent the interview process, he was informed that he was no longer a viable candidate for the position,” the lawsuit states.
Marko said employment discrimination is not unusual. He added, as a civil rights attorney, “We’ve seen a lot of discrimination in hiring, especially when it comes to the exclusion of minorities and individuals who have minority-sounding names.”
Jackson’s case is different, he said, because he applied twice for similar positions with nearly the exact same resume and it yielded different results when he used the alias.
Jackson alleges the denial of his resume was based on the “racial appearance” of his real name and was a clear violation of the Michigan Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act. He also claims he suffered stress, humiliation and economic damages.
The hotel’s operating partner responded to the claims in an email to CNN: “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.”