Black Man Files Discrimination Lawsuit Against Detroit Hotel After Receiving Job Interview Once He Changed His Name On Resume To “John Jebrowski

Cousins! A Black male has taken legal action against a Detroit, Michigan hotel upon claims of racism and discrimination after a simple name change on his resume seemingly upped him on the company’s radar!

Dwight Jackson says that he was initially denied a job at the Shinola hotel on July 3rd but was offered the same exact position after changing the name on his resume to “John Jebrowski,” reports CNN

In an obtained copy of the lawsuit by CNN, Dwight claims to have been denied the job in, “violation of Michigan Elliot Larsen Civil Rights Act.”

Reports read that Dwight spent the first few months of the year between January and April applying for various positions at the downtown located hotel.

Dwight’s attorney Jon Marko provided a copy of his resume to CNN which details his previous employment at Marriot and David Whitney hotels where he was consistently employed and held the same positions that he applied for at Shinola.

“Mr. Jackson had applied for a job that he was eminently qualified for,” said Jon.

It has been stated that after receiving multiple denials, Dwight decided to change the name on his resume. However, after changing his name to a more Caucasian alias using the same resume with different dates of employment he received multiple interview offers in the same week.

The 27-year-old is said to have attended the interview at Shinola Hotel and explained how he was initially denied a job because he had a traditional African American name.

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

Jon says, “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.”

In response to the issued suit, Shinola Hotel’s operating partner Sage Hospitality Group released 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, said Anna Stancioff, Sage Hospitality’s Senior Corporate Director of PR & Brand Communications and spokesperson for the hotel said in an email.

Marko explained that executing name-bias lawsuits is extremely difficult due to the lack of evidence. However, Dwight’s case differs because of the name swap which led to an interview.

As for Dwight he, “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,” says Jon.