[TRANSCRIPT]

Jesse Jones III

AirBnb, a company that allows travelers to rent other people’s homes for vacation and leisure, is facing an uproar of complaints due to discrimination. Last Friday, National Public Radio, hosted a Twitter chat regarding black renters that have faced discrimination while using AirBnb. The tweets were shocking, and a user created a popular hashtag, #AirBnbWhileBlack, to share their complaints. Many black users tweeted issues that they have encountered in the past.

One tweet featured, was a black male who tried booking rooms in New Jersey, New York, and 3 other locations, but his reservations were cancelled quickly afterwards. Another individual faced discrimination in the past, so he changed his profile picture to a picture of nature, and used his middle name instead of his first.

Harvard conducted a study, and found that fictional profiles made with the names “Lakisha” or “Rasheed” were 16% less likely to be accepted for a reservation than names like “Brent” or “Kristen.” AirBnb quickly responded to the NPR chat. David King, head of the company’s diversity and belonging team, said that the company recognizes the discrimination amongst users, and further actions are being taken.