An experienced hotel worker alleges he was the victim of discrimination after having his job application turned down a number of times, that is, until he made a slight change to the same application.
Dwight Jackson, 27, claims that the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit disregarded several job applications until he altered his name.
Jackson claims in a complaint he filed on Wednesday that he applied for many jobs at the five-star hotel from January to April 2024 but was never given an interview.
According to the petition, the hotel called him to schedule an interview the very next week after he submitted a resume using a “Caucasian name” (John Jebrowski).
A copy of Jackson’s résumé was made available to the media by his attorney, Jon Marko. The resume details consistent employment, including previous positions as a “Front Desk Agent” at two hotels, both of which use the terms luxurious and posh to describe their establishments.
When he finally was able to see an interviewer, Jackson confronted them and asserted that he was first denied interviews because his name sounded black.
Sage Hospitality Group, the hotel’s managing partner, stated senior corporate director of public relations and brand marketing Anna Stancioff, who said they take accusations seriously and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. She said they are devoted to creating a diverse workforce that represents the community and to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
According to court records, Jackson was told he wasn’t a good fit for the job after going through the interview process.
The encounter caused Jackson stress, embarrassment, mental harm, and financial harm, according to his claim..
The National Bureau of Economic Research has released research confirming that name prejudice is a common problem in the recruiting process. To determine if gender and ethnicity influenced the percentage of responses to job applications, researchers sent out duplicate resumes to 108 firms in the United States. Black male and female resumes had the lowest number of callbacks.
