Dwight Jackson, a 27-year-old Black man, has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the Shinola Hotel in Detroit, Michigan, claiming he was only offered a job interview after he changed the name on his resume.
The lawsuit, filed on July 3, alleges that the hotel’s hiring practices violated the Michigan Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act.
Between January and April 2024, Jackson applied for multiple positions at the Shinola Hotel, including a reception role. Some of Jackson’s previous roles include a “Front Desk Agent” at Detroit’s Marriott Westin Book Cadillac and the David Whitney Hotel, both of which are described as luxury hotels. However, despite his qualifications, Jackson received no response.
Frustrated by the lack of response, Jackson reapplied in April 2024 using the alias “John Jebrowski” and nearly identical resumes. The only difference between the applications was the name and dates of previous employment. This time, he was offered multiple interviews within the same week.
The lawsuit alleges that “Jackson established that the Defendant’s consideration of candidates was based on the racial appearance of the applicant’s name.” Jon Marko, Jackson’s attorney, emphasized the emotional toll of such discrimination, saying, “To be denied a job in 2024 in your hometown, for the color of your skin, goes beyond dollars and cents. It goes into the psyche of a person.”
Sage Hospitality Group, the operating partner of Shinola Hotel, responded to the allegations. Anna Stancioff, Sage Hospitality’s Senior Corporate Director of PR & Brand Communications, stated, “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.”
The lawsuit states that Jackson attended the job interview using his alias and then confronted the interviewer, disclosing his true identity and explaining his belief that his initial application was overlooked because of his traditionally Black sounding name.
Shortly after the interview, Jackson was informed that he was no longer being considered for the position.
Marko pointed out that employment discrimination, especially based on minority-sounding names, is a widespread issue.
A study published in July 2021 by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that resumes with Black male and female names received the fewest callbacks from employers.
The study indicated that hiring discrimination based on Black-sounding names had decreased, however, name bias still remained prevalent in certain customer-facing industries like auto sales or retail.
Additionally, research has shown that as people get to know someone better, the discriminatory impact of a name tends to diminish. However, other studies have highlighted that racial biases can hinder the interactions necessary for this learning process to occur in the first place. For instance, these biases might cause employers to avoid interviewing or hiring candidates of color from the outset.
Marko noted that proving cases involving name discrimination is particularly challenging, but Jackson’s case presents a more compelling argument because of the contrasting results from nearly identical resumes.
Jackson hopes his lawsuit will bring attention to the broader issue of name bias in hiring practices. “He 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,” Marko said.
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