A man from Michigan is filing a lawsuit against a Detroit hotel on the basis of racial discrimination, asserting he only received a job interview there once he changed his name to something that sounds more European on his resume.
According to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by CNN, Dwight Jackson alleges he was denied a job at the Shinoa Hotel several times when he was applying as “Dwight Jackson,” but was later granted an interview when he changed his name to “John Jebrowski.”
Jackson, 27, applied for multiple jobs at the Shinoa Hotel (described on its website as a “luxury” hotel) between January and April 2024, including a role in reception, the suit reports. After getting no response to his initial applications, Jackson applied again in April under a different name.
The suit alleges Jackson applied to Shinoa Hotel “twice for similar positions under a more readily apparent Caucasian name, with the alias ‘John Jebrowski,'” using nearly identical resumes, except differing dates of previous employment.
According to the lawsuit, he was offered multiple interviews within the same week. However, after the interview process he was turned down for the position.
The suit alleges “Jackson established that the Defendant’s consideration of candidates was based on the racial appearance of the applicant’s name,” and he was denied a job in “violation of Michigan’s Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act.”
Jackson’s attorney, Jon Marko, provided CNN with a copy of Jackson’s resume, which shows he was consistently employed, including previous roles as a “Front Desk Agent” at Detroit’s Marriott Westin Book Cadillac and David Whitney Hotel, which use the words luxury and luxurious to describe their respective hotels.
Anna Stancioff, the Senior Corporate Director of PR & Brand Communications of Sage Hospitality Group, Shinoa Hotel’s operating partner, and a spokesperson for the hotel, addressed the lawsuit in an email to CNN on Tuesday. “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,” she said.
Marko told CNN that 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.”
