CBS-4 News Hermeisha Robinson and Dorneisha Zachary were both given emails denying their candidacy for a job because of their "ghetto" names.
Hermeisha Robinson and Dorneisha Zachary are two women who were both told by the same company that their names were too “ghetto” for them to be considered as applicants for roles.
Mantality Health, a Missouri-based company, actually spelled this out for each of them in an email, which read, via KMOV, “Thank you for your interest in careers at Mantality Health. Unfortunately we do not consider candidates that have a suggestive ghetto name. We wish you the best in your career search. Regards.”
Robinson and Zachary are both convinced that it wasn’t accidental. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Robinson Posted Her Rejection to Facebook on Monday, Drawing Intense Surprise and Criticism From Thousands of People
In a Facebook post, Robinson wrote of the email sent by Mentality Health, “I HAVE A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT I AM VERY UPSET BECAUSE TODAY I RECEIVED AN EMAIL ABOUT THIS JOB THAT I APPLIED FOR AS A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT Mantality Health I KNOW IM WELL QUALIFIED FOR THE POSITION AS THEY SEEN ON MY RESUME! THEY DISCRIMINATED AGAINST ME BECAUSE OF MY NAME WHICH THEY CONSIDERED IT TO BE “ghetto” FOR THEIR COMPANY! MY FEELINGS ARE VERY HURT AND THEY EVEN GOT ME SECOND GUESSING MY NAME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF MY NAME IS REALLY THAT “GHETTO” I WOULD LIKE FOR EVERYONE TO SHARE THIS POST BECAUSE DISCRIMINATION HAS TO STOP”!
Robinson said to WBTV, “Just the fact that when I read the email, I was just appalled.”
In a follow up post on Facebook, Robinson addressed claims that she was “lying” about what had happened. She wrote, “What I dont understand is why would I publicly humiliate myself? About a name that I was given people are so mean and rude and will say anything to get laughs like I just all of a sudden just make up something so mean like this! Even though you see news articles and media post yet you still call me a liar My feelings are very hurt and you people not making it no better for me about this situation by making fun of my name I am human and I didn’t ask for any of this so can y’all just leave y’all rude comments to yourself because I haven’t did anything or said anything WRONG to nobody!
?????”
2. Zachary Said She ‘Couldn’t Believe Her Eyes’ at the Email
Black women in Midwest denied jobs because of ‘ghetto’ names; company claims they were hacked
To WBTV, Zachary said that when she received the email rejection, she “couldn’t believer her eyes.”
She said, “Honestly, right then and there, my eyes got a little teary.” Zachary had applied for a customer service job, she said.
“The company looked at my name and said we don’t care about what you’ve done in life. Your name is going is going to dismiss you completely,” Zachary said.
3. Both Women Have Felt the Need to Clarify the Meanings of Their Names, as a Result
This is where we are in our society. POC have to worry about not getting the job bc of the hiring mgrs (usually white) being racist or prejudice. 😒😤
t.co/cGVZVcZtT5
In the wake of their rejections, both women felt the need to clarify that their names have specific meaning, to WBTV.
Zachary said, “Dora and Dinishah put together is Dornisha, so my name has meaning to me. It’s not ghetto.”
Robinson said of her name, “It’s just unique. It’s from my mom and my father. My father’s name is Herman so I’m Hermeisha.”
4. WBTV Reports That Other Women From Minnesota and Wisconsin Have Received This Email
Women denied job because of ‘ghetto’ names, but company claims it was hacked t.co/GOznQGQZju
According to WBTV, other women in Wisconsin and Minnesota have received this email. As for Mentality Health, it maintains that the email was sent by a hacker.
According to The Root, Jack Gamache, a representative of Mantality, explained that the company’s Indeed.com job posting website was hacked. What’s more CEO Kevin Meuret said that at least 20 people might have received similar emails.
“This is not a reflection of who we are as a company,” Meuret said. “This is deplorable.”
5. Chesterfield Police Are Investigating the Hacking Claim
Hermeisha Robinson, 27, was seeking a customer service job at Mantality Health in Chesterfield, Missouri.
According to The Root, Chesterfield police are looking into the claims of hacking, though Indeed has already clarified that they’ve seen no evidence of hacking on their end.
The statement released by Indeed reads, “Account security is of utmost importance to Indeed and something that we diligently monitor. Account holders are responsible for use of their password and we recommend frequent updates and complete confidentiality of your password. Our investigation into this particular account shows no evidence of compromise.”