Sleeping While Black: Restless Nights with Airbnb
You may be familiar with DWB otherwise known as “driving while black” which African-Americans lament is their reality of being pulled over by cops simply because of the color of their skin.
Well, now there’s SWB or “sleeping while black” after a class-action lawsuit against Airbnb, by African-Americans who claim the online room rental company ignored their concerns of discrimination by hosts who rejected requests by African-Americans based on their profiles (Airbnb profiles include a requestor’s real name and a photograph). A Harvard Business School study found widespread discrimination by Airbnb hosts against guests whose names sounded distinctly black.
One telling example was when an African-American man tried to book the same room in Idaho on two separate occasion and was rejected both times. When his white friend tried booking the same dates, he was was accepted. You can read his experience which he posted online.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said these incidents are “disturbing and unacceptable.” “Racism and discrimination have no place on Airbnb,” he tweeted.
Some African-Americans using Airbnb have changed their pictures from a personal one to a non-descript one (i.e. such as a picture of a skyline vs. one of themselves) to limit the level of potential discrimination that could come their way.
Unfortunately, some Americans will dismiss these complaints and never fully recognize the reality of racism against African-Americans and other ethnic minorities. Sadly, these incidents only highlight the very real, day-to-day concerns and challenges minorities face while living in the U.S.
Related Stories:
http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Airbnb_92dd6086-6e46-4eaf-9cea-60fe5ba3c596.pdf
