Justice

Why the Airbnb Civil Rights Settlement Matters

We now have a foundation to work from on how to remedy racial discrimination in the sharing economy.
Ashton Kutcher is interrupted by an Airbnb protester at a panel in Los Angeles. Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

This past February, Dyne Suh, an Asian-American law student, fought through a snowstorm to get to her already-booked Airbnb unit in the mountains of Big Bear, California, she was disappointed to find that the Airbnb host had cancelled her reservation. The host, Tami Barker, claimed it was because Suh wanted to bring extra guests, but her text messages to Suh revealed another motive: “I wouldn’t rent it to u if u were the last person on earth,” she texted. “One word says it all. Asian.”

Turns out the word that said it all was “racism,” and Barker was duly penalized last week by both Airbnb and California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which investigates civil rights claims. Airbnb and the state agency negotiated an agreement with Barker not only to issue an apology to Suh, but also to pay $5,000 in damages, attend racial bias training, commit to volunteering for a civil rights organization, and take a Asian-American Studies course.