A veteran hotel employee claims he was discriminated against after receiving an inconsistent response to a job application in which he changed a key detail on his resume.
Dwight Jackson, 27, claims the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit overlooked his applications for multiple jobs until he changed his name.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Jackson alleges he made multiple attempts to work at the luxury hotel between January and April 2024 but was denied the opportunity to interview.
It was only when he submitted a resume with a “white name” — John Jebrowski — that the hotel contacted him for an interview that same week, the file states.
Dwight Jackson, 27, is suing the owners of the Shinola Hotel after they kept rejecting his resume because he was black
Jackson said he used his birth name in his first attempts.
But once he applied under the alias John Jebrowski, and left his work history and skills unchanged, he received an interview invitation from management.
Jackson went through the application process but was told he was not a suitable candidate for the position, court documents show.
“Mr. Jackson confronted them and said, ‘I’m Dwight Jackson, I’m the guy applying for a job,’ and they said, ‘We’re done. We don’t want to hire you,'” Jackson’s attorney John Marko further said CBS News Detroit.
It is illegal to discriminate against someone during the job application process based on the color of their skin.
“The lawsuit alleges that (the hotel) unlawfully discriminated against Mr. Jackson by refusing to interview him or hire him for a position for which he was qualified, and the sole reason for doing so was because of his skin color,” Marko added.
Since the filing, the hotel has released a statement saying they “do not tolerate discrimination of any kind”
Jackson claims he only changed his name on the resume and kept all other information the same each time he applied for jobs.
Since filing the complaint, the hotel has issued a statement saying it “does not tolerate discrimination in any form.”
‘We take this accusation very seriously and do not tolerate any form of discrimination.
“We strive to create an inclusive workplace where everyone has the opportunity to succeed and to build a diverse workforce that reflects the community.”
Jackson testified in the lawsuit that he suffered distress, humiliation, emotional distress and economic loss as a result of the incident.
According to the documents, he is seeking “an amount which the trial court shall deem fair and just, plus interest, costs and attorneys’ fees, and such other and further relief as the Honourable Court may deem appropriate” in damages.
DailyMail.com has contacted Shinola Hotel for comment.