Man files lawsuit alleging racial discrimination when applying to Shinola Hotel job in Detroit
(CBS DETROIT) - A Black man is accusing the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit of racial discrimination when he submitted a resume for a job.
"The law prohibits discrimination based on race, but as a civil rights lawyer who is very, very busy, I can tell you this happens all the time," said attorney John Marko.
Marko represents Dwight Jackson, who applied for a hospitality job earlier this year. He said Jackson was shocked when he did not get a callback, so he switched up his resume.
"Didn't change anything substantive; he only changed his name to a white-sounding name of John Jebrowski, and suddenly, he got multiple interviews in a matter of days," Marko told CBS News Detroit.
According to the lawsuit, Jackson used the exact resume.
"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,'" Marko said.
Shinola Hotel issued the following statement in response:
"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."
In Washtenaw County, the Ann Arbor City Council recently passed a resolution implementing an 'anonymous hiring initiative' for city jobs. This initiative would remove potentially biased information from applications.
Councilwoman Cynthia Harrison spurred the move and explained why they're setting a standard in cases like Jackson's.
"It causes general harm, thus the wealth gap. It contributes to the wealth gap and it has for generations between whites and Blacks," Harrison said.
While cities and states adopt fair chance laws, which require the removal of criminal conviction questions on applications, it can still lead to discrimination based on names or addresses.
Both Harrison and Marko believe in order to curtail the problem, we need laws at the state and federal levels.
"As an employer, what folks should be focused on are skills and qualifications as the basis for employment decisions," Harrison said.
Marko said that his phone has been ringing since Jackson filed the lawsuit, as others are also accusing the Shinola Hotel of discrimination.