Facing a world of discrimination, Airbnb says #weaccept
With nearly 5 million views to date on Youtube, this Super Bowl ad from Airbnb has sent a powerful message to the world: #weaccept. It is a bold statement against many types of discrimination, including race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation. "We believe in the simple idea that no matter who you are, where you're from, who you love, or who you worship, you deserve to belong." ~ Brian, Joe, & Nate (Airbnb Founders) Acceptance and tolerance is a key part of peacemaking. The founders of Airbnb are embracing acceptance while acknowledging that discrimination is also an issue for their own customers. Research from Harvard Business School has highlighted racial discrimination against African-Americans in several regards. Airbnb users with distinctively African-American names have a harder time booking a reservation than users with distinctively White names. After analyzing 6,400 listings on Airbnb, the researchers found that African Americans are 16% less likely to have their reservations accepted compared to White users. Another study found that non-black Airbnb hosts are able to charge about 12 percent more than African-American hosts. "The painful truth is that guests on Airbnb have experienced discrimination, something that is the very opposite of our values. We know we have work to do and are dedicated to achieving greater acceptance in our community," as stated by the Airbnb founders on Super Bowl Sunday. How can you demonstrate acceptance in your community? What can you do to embrace diversity and reject discrimination of all types? Join a community of peacemakers and create a project to address discrimination today!