>> SHELETTA: DID Y’ALL HEAR ABOUT THIS STORY?
DWIGHT JOHNSON, AN AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN IN MICHIGAN, DIDN’T GET A JOB THAT HE APPLIED FOR.
HE KNEW HE QUALIFIED FOR THE POSITION AND HAD A SNEAKING SUSPICION WHY HE WASN’T THE IDEAL CANDIDATE.
SO, HE CHANGED THE NAME ON HIS RESUME FROM DWIGHT JOHNSON TO JOHN JEBROWSKI.
SAME CREDITIALS, SAME QUALIFICATIONS, SAME EXPERIENCE, AND, VOILA, HE GOT THE OFFER!
HE ALSO GOT A LAWYER AND SUED THE COMPANY FOR VIOLATING HIS CIVIL RIGHTS.
THIS STRUCK A CHORD WITH ME BECAUSE MY NAME IS SHELETTA.
AND LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, THERE IS NO DOUBT, WITH A NAME LIKE SHELETTA THAT I AM A BLACK WOMAN.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES, WHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR WORK, THAT I HAD A SIMILAR SNEAKING SUSPICION, THAT PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS SAW MY NAME, DETERMINED MY RACE, GENDER AND ETHNICITY AND PROCEEDED TO DISQUALIFY ME.
I THOUGHT ABOUT IT A FEW TIMES, YOU KNOW, CHANGING MY NAME ON MY RESUME, JUST SO SLIGHTLY, SO THE GATE KEEPERS WOULDN’T KEEP ME OUT.
I THOUGHT ABOUT BEING SHELLY BRUNDIDGE, THE PERKY RED-HEAD, OR LETTA BRUNDIDGE, THE BEAUTIFUL BLONDE.
I EVEN CONSIDERED USING JUST MY INITIALS, S.B., SO THEY WOULDN’T KNOW IF I WERE A MAN OR A WOMAN.
BUT THEN I THOUGHT ABOUT A CERTAIN SOMEONE WHO DID JUST FINE USING HER OWN NAME, SO I STUCK WITH SHELETTA.
HEY, IT AIN’T OPRAH, BUT I THINK IT WORKED