This Teen Says She Wasn't Hired By Necessary Clothing Because She Was 'Too Dark'

Mali D'Janite says the store manager dismissed her because of her skin color.

Paula Rogo Oct, 21, 2018

When a New York City teen was refused an interview by clothing store Necessary Clothing, she never suspected that it might be because of her skin tone.

But that is exactly what Mali D’Janite, 17, says happened to her.

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D’Janite told the New York Post that she was denied an interview with the store manager because she was too dark, according to another employee.

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I Recently Just Moved Back To NYC To Begin My Dance Career But As I’m Still A Student, I Need To Work . I’ve Been Applying For Retail Jobs EveryWhere Because I’ve Got Great Retail Experience & Have Been Awarded For My Sales & Etc . I Finally Took Action To Go In Stores & Inquire About Employment . I Came Across Necessary Clothing, Where The Assistant Manager Was Instantly Eager To Give Me A Job, & Told Me To Come Back With A Resume & Speak Directly With The Store Manager . I Went Back The Next Day With A Resume, & I Spoke To The Manager Across The Street Whom Was A DarkSkin African Man . He Read Over My Resume Right In Front Of Me & Said We’re Not Hiring . Those Who Shop In Soho Know That Necessary Clothing’s Stores Are Directly Across The Street From One Another, I Walked Back Across The Street To Speak With The Assistant Manager & She Tells Me He Called Over To Tell Her I’m “ Too DarkSkin “ To Work There . I’m Not One To Put My Business Out There, But Colorism Is Real Especially Within Our Own People & It’s Hurtful . I Deal With Racism From Other Races, But To Hear That From A African Person Is Disgusting To Me . I’ve Never Been Insecure About My Skin Color . I Love My People & I Love EveryThing About Myself . This Isn’t A Call For Help, This Is A Call For Justice . @necessaryclothing I’ve Been Shopping At Your Store For Years & I Could Say You Really Lost A Customer Today . #ColorisimIn2018 #BoyCottNecessaryClothing #Discrimination

A post shared by M A Z I (@mazismazi) on Oct 5, 2018 at 2:09pm PDT

“I was in shock and confused. I called my mother right away in tears, she told BET.

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D’Janite had just moved back to New York City from Phoenix, a city in which she struggled with discrimination. When she returned to New York, she assumed she had left most of these type of problems in Arizona.

“I’ve been discriminated against by Caucasians before, especially living in Phoenix and attending school with mostly Caucasians, but hearing it from a Black man, and an African at that, was horrific!” she said.

The store manager, Samuel Osei, denies the allegation, telling the Post: “She’s my sister, why should I do that?”

After filing a complaint with the company, D’Janite says she was offered a position to work for the online store in Los Angeles. But she decided not to take it.

“I refuse to work for a racist brand,” she explained.

Necessary Clothing has yet to comment on the incident.