Fantasia Barrino shared that she and her family were racially profiled by Airbnb when they stayed at a house booked on the website for her son’s birthday.
“The Color Purple” star posted on her official social media accounts, explaining that she rented a house for her son and his friends and invited people over to celebrate during the day.
Once the festivities ended, the number of guests staying the night matched the number on the reservation, so they did not break any rules.
“My stomach is so uneasy this morning,” she wrote on Twitter. “I don’t say much when people do me wrong, but I can’t stay quiet on how my family and I were just treated by a host with @Airbnb @airbnbhelp trying to kick my kids and I out at midnight. The host accused us of having a party with loud noises outdoors because they saw balloons being dropped off and a game truck with no generator in the early part of the day.”
The actress pointed out that the website never said she couldn’t have people over the house and noted that the sayings on the wall, outdoor fire pit and jacuzzi, game room and balloon ribbons left in the garage showed that people often had gatherings there.
“It’s evident to me this was racial profiling and the treatment we received was due to the colour of our skin,” she added. “I wanted my son to enjoy his friends (10-12) year old and make him feel special as I have been travelling for the last 35+ days promoting a movie I starred in. This time, I dare not stay quiet.”
Airbnb’s help account replied to her post, noting that the company does not condone discrimination in any way and shared a link to its nondiscrimination policy. It also asked her to send a direct message with the email address connected to the booking, so the team could follow up with her.
Barrino also shared a lengthy post on Instagram with a carousel of photos of the children during the festivities. She further explained that she and the diverse group of technologically and robotically inclined kids were asked to vacate the house the first night they were there.
“We have lost our internal compass of Love! Love moves us to deeply consider, it shifts us out of places of sympathy where we can gain a real understanding through empathy,” she wrote in the caption. “When love is present, it overlooks your race, age, gender, profession, zip code and even your past. This, is what we teach our and exhibit before children, and this is what we wanted kids outside of our home to experience as well.”
She continued, “Gaining and understanding wasn’t the desire, while we were being screened on various ring cameras, the happiness and ‘character’ of the kids present also wasn’t considered. Right after a hot chocolate Sip & Paint, without warning, we were asked to leave. So, at 6a, in the freezing rain, with sleepy kids, we loaded up 4 vehicles, respectfully cleaned and organized everything back to its original place and we left.”
