Black teacher sues five-star Houston hotel ‘after staffer slammed her for showing her shoulders and covered them with SHAWL, while ignoring white women in skimpy outfits’
A black teacher has sued a five-star hotel in Houston after an employee allegedly punched her for showing off her shoulders before grabbing a scarf and draping it over her body.
Blessing Nwosu, 28, claims she was discriminated against because she was asked to cover up, while many white women wore skimpy outfits with their shoulders exposed.
She is seeking $1 million in damages for the shock and humiliation she faced at the Post Oak Hotel in Houston, Texas.
Nwosu went to the hotel’s Bloom and Bee restaurant for her friend Stephanie’s birthday on May 24 when she was told to cover her shoulders while eating.
The restaurant’s host came up behind the woman and placed a scarf around her shoulders during the 2 p.m. lunch, the lawsuit alleges.
But the hotel has fought back, saying it was offered the scarf “respectfully” and that the legal action is nothing more than Nwosu’s lawyer getting “15 minutes of fame” and “a pot of gold.”
Blessing Nwosu, 28, claims she was discriminated against because she was asked to cover up while many white women wore skimpy outfits with their shoulders visible
She is seeking $1 million in damages for the shock and humiliation she faced at the Post Oak Hotel in Houston. She is pictured in the dress she wore to lunch
The lawsuit states: “Because of her race and ethnicity, Blessing was discriminated against by members of the hotel staff, something that Caucasians in similar circumstances did not face.
“Accordingly, Blessing brings this action against Defendants to recover damages.”
Images from Bloom and Bee show scores of women – of all races – posing with their food in dresses that clearly show off their shoulders and other body parts.
Nwosu – a published author and primary school teacher – was wearing a red bodycon dress with straps behind her neck when she was approached and stopped at the restaurant.
The federal lawsuit states: “Blessing entered the restaurant and sat down at a table with her friends.
Nwosu went to the hotel’s Bloom and Bee restaurant for her friend Stephanie’s birthday on May 24 when she was told to cover her shoulders while eating
In the photo: Bloom and Bee restaurant
Pictured: Post Oak Hotel in Houston, Texas
‘Surprisingly, the host of the restaurant came behind Blessing and placed a piece of cloth (scarf/scarf) on Blessing’s shoulders.
“At the same time, the host said that the cloth should be placed over a customer’s shoulder if the shoulders were visible. Blessing found her treatment very rude.
‘There were about four white people in the restaurant at the time with their shoulders bare.
“The Bloom & Bee Restaurant has a public Instagram page where many white (Caucasian) women bare their shoulders.”
The lawsuit stated, “Blessing was heartbroken over the incident and experienced, at a minimum, stress, hair loss, nausea, insomnia, shame, anxiety, tension leading to muscle aches and headaches.”
She claims that despite “the passage of civil rights laws more than half a century ago,” she felt “extremely embarrassed, belittled and ashamed of being treated in a discriminatory manner.”
Speaking to KHOU 11, the teacher said, “Everyone was watching, I feel like I was being made into a spectacle and it was embarrassing.”
Images from the restaurant’s social media show women wearing dresses with their shoulders visible
One woman even wears a strapless dress in the diner
The Post Oak Hotel said in a statement: “The Post Oak attracts hotel guests from around the world and is one of the most diverse properties in Houston, both in terms of employees and customer base.
“Plaintiff entered one of the hotel’s restaurants for lunch and walked to the hostess stand.
‘The hostess noticed that the claimant was clearly overexposed in her dress and discreetly and respectfully offered her a scarf for cover.
“The hostess is a minority and denies any discrimination against the plaintiff and simply wanted the plaintiff to cover up.
“This is nothing more than a frivolous lawsuit filed by an opportunistic lawyer looking for fifteen minutes of fame and a pot of gold.
“It’s a lot cheaper these days to use the media for free publicity rather than paying for billboards or television advertising.”
It is not the first time in recent months that the hotel has come under fire for alleged discrimination.
Willie Powells, a black man, claimed that hotel staff told him to take off his hat while there were white people at the bar who were also wearing hats. On October 7, he filed a lawsuit.