A Black Man Used A Less Ethnic Name To Land A Job After Originally Being Rejected—Now He’s Suing For Discrimination  – Essence

A Black man is suing a Detroit hotel for discrimination after stating his job application were ignored until he changed the name on his résumé to a non-ethnic sounding name.

Dwight Jackson stated he applied several times to no avail at the Shinola Hotel under his name between January 2024 and April 2024, but only after he put “John Jebrowski” on his resume and changed nothing else, he was invited to interview within the same week.

“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,” Jackson’s attorney, Jonathan Marko said to NBC News.

The hotel deny all allegations.

“The preliminary findings of our internal investigation relating to this claim have revealed significant inconsistencies with the plaintiff’s allegations,” the company said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that the plaintiff’s counsel has chosen to take these unsubstantiated claims to the media before proper due diligence has been completed.”

Almost immediately after the interview Jackson revealed his true name, and was dismissed by the company.

“Shortly after Jackson underwent the interview process, he was informed that he was no longer a viable candidate for the position,” the lawsuit reads.

Jackson’s intent is to ensure that the alleged discrimination doesn’t affect anyone else.

“He definitely doesn’t want it to happen at Shinola, he doesn’t want it to happen in his hometown of Detroit,” Marko states. “But if he can make a difference to just other people across the United States, that’s what he wants to do.”