Dwight Jackson, a 27-year-old Black man, is pursuing legal action against the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit, USA, alleging discrimination in their hiring practices.
According to Jackson’s lawsuit filed on July 10th, 2024, he claims that despite multiple attempts to secure employment at the luxury hotel between January and April 2024 using his birth name, he was consistently overlooked for job interviews.
Jackson asserts that the situation changed dramatically when he submitted a resume under the name ‘John Jebrowski’, described as a ‘Caucasian name’. He claims that following this alteration, maintaining all details of his work history and skills unchanged, he promptly received an invitation for an interview from the hotel management that same week.
Despite participating in the interview process, Jackson’s court documents state that he was subsequently informed that he did not qualify for the position.
Jackson’s attorney John Marko further told CBS News Detroit: “Mr. Jackson actually confronted them and said, ‘I’m Dwight Jackson, I’m the guy that’s been applying to a job’ and they said, ‘We’re done. We don’t want to hire you.
“It’s illegal to discriminate against someone in the hiring process because of the colour of his skin.
“The suit alleges (the hotel) illegally discriminated against Mr. Jackson by refusing to give him an interview or hire him for a position for which he was qualified and the only reason is the color of his skin.”
Since the filing, the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit, USA, has issued a statement asserting that they “do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”
:We take this allegation very seriously and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.
“We’re 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.”
Jackson has stated in the lawsuit that he suffered stress, humiliation, emotional damages, and economic damages due to the incident.
He is seeking an ‘amount as the trier of fact shall deem fair and just, together with interest, costs and attorney fees, and for such other and further relief as this Honorable Court may deem appropriate’ as damages, according to documents.
