NAACP to partner, revenue share with Airbnb

Jul 30, 2017

NAACP has announced a “groundbreaking” partnership with Airbnb following the many allegations that black guests have not been treated fairly by hosts.

The new partnership will see the NAACP collaborating with Airbnb on multiple initiatives such as jobs, community outreach, revenue sharing and supplier diversity goals.

“Economic development for African-Americans has long been a part of our mission,” said Derrick Johnson, the interim president of the NAACP, in an interview. “Airbnb wants to be a better corporate citizen. We see this as a way for African-Americans to have emerging opportunities with Silicon Valley. So it’s mutually beneficial.”

With this new agreement in place, they will conduct targeted outreach to its membership and communities of color with the goal of helping people leverage their homes as assets to earn some extra money.

— South African artist claims racism after shoved down stairs by Airbnb host —

Airbnb is dedicated to boosting diversity among both suppliers and employees. They have stated that their goal is to up the percentage of its US employees who are from underrepresented communities to 11 percent by the end of this year.

Airbnb will be sharing 20 percent of the money it earns as a result of these new outreach efforts with the NAACP.

For some time now, Airbnb hosts have been accused of discriminating and showing other forms of racial bias against black guests and other guests of color.

In 2015, Harvard Business School researchers found that guests with “distinctly” black names were 16 percent less likely to be accepted compared to names that are perceived as white.

The company has made several sweeping policy changes. They have implemented anti-bias training for hosts as well as employees and they have created a team whose entire purpose is to advance inclusion. Also, they require everyone who uses Airbnb to sign the company’s Community Commitment pledge. This pledge mirrors federal laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability among others.