October 24th 2023.
Two lawsuits have been filed against the Post Oak Hotel in Houston, Texas, accusing the popular hotel of discriminating against Black guests. On October 6th, Willie Powells, a lawyer, filed a complaint regarding an incident that occurred on March 8th, 2023. According to the lawsuit, Powells was asked to remove his hat in a rude manner while there were white guests nearby wearing headgear. He claims the employee's behavior interrupted his meeting and forced him to leave the hotel.
The second lawsuit was filed by Blessing Nwosu, a school teacher, regarding an incident that occurred at the Bloom & Bee Restaurant inside the Post Oak Hotel. Nwosu was attending a birthday celebration when she was allegedly asked to cover her shoulders by a hostess. Despite the fact that there were other white women in the restaurant with exposed shoulders, Nwosu was singled out due to her race. She claims to have reached out to the restaurant a few days after the incident, but never received a response.
At a press conference held outside the hotel on October 21st, Nwosu said she felt embarrassed, saying "Everybody was looking. I feel like I was being made a spectacle, and it was embarrassing". Her lawyer, Randall Kallinen, stated that this is a pattern created by the hotel, claiming "Jim Crow is still alive, but apparently he's sneakier, using the dress code—some vague dress code—and saying that an African-American individual violates it."
The Post Oak Hotel is standing behind their employees for both lawsuits. Steven Chou, the hotel's general manager, called the first suit "frivolous" and said Powells should have known better. Chou also said Nwosu's suit was "nothing more than a frivolous lawsuit filed by an opportunistic lawyer looking for 15 minutes of fame and a pot of gold."
It is concerning that two separate lawsuits have accused the Post Oak Hotel in Houston of discriminating against Black guests. If true, this is unacceptable behavior and is something that should not be tolerated. The outcome of these lawsuits will be very telling and could have significant implications for the hotel and its employees.
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