A teenager is calling out a New York clothing store manager who allegedly denied her a job for having dark skin.
Mali D’Janite is a student and dancer who recently moved back to New York City from Phoenix, Arizona. The New York Post reports the 17-year-old applied for a job at the SoHo-based store Necessary Clothing when she was told she was "too dark" to work at the store.
According to a press release, the news came from an unidentified assistant manager who claimed the store manager, Samuel Osei, 30, reportedly refused to move forward with the hiring process because of her skin color.
"I walked into Necessary Clothing to inquire about employment, and the assistant manager was instantly eager to give me [a] job," D'Janite recounted in an emailed statement to Blavity. "She advised me to come back the next day with a resume to speak with the manager. The next day I spoke directly with the manager, Samuel Osei, an African man from Ghana. He looked over my resume in front of me and instantly told me we’re not hiring. Confused, I went to speak back with the assistant manager, and she told me he called over to tell her I’m 'too dark' to work there."
D'Janite said she then filed an online complaint with the company.
"The gentleman we spoke with said he would pass on the complaint to the owner of the retail stores whom we never heard back from."
The store's Los Angeles location eventually reached out to the teen with a job offer.
"I politely declined," she said. "I refuse to work for a company with questionable racist and discriminatory hiring practices."
The teen said the incident made her realize the pervasiveness of colorism in the Black community.
"In my 17 years, I’ve never been insecure about being a dark-skinned woman; however, this incident is helping me bring awareness to the colorism that takes place in our community," she added.
Following the backlash from the community, Osei claimed the allegations of colorism are false.
“She’s my sister, why should I do that?” he said.
D'Janite's father, celebrity DJ Harry D'Janite, has been vocal about the situation calling out the store manager for offering his daughter a job at a Los Angeles store.
"My daughter is a beautiful young lady with so much going for her as a professional dancer, and actress. This was extremely hurtful to her and our family…it is so very very SAD," he said. "The fact that an African man would deny someone employment because of their own skin color? This manager should lose his job immediately and Necessary Clothing should be held responsible for giving my daughter a public apology!!"
D'Janite said she is still searching for a job and has filed a complaint with NYC Human Rights. They are currently in the process of speaking with a civil rights attorney.
Blavity reached out to Necessary Clothing, but the company has yet to return the request for comment.
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