As appalling as racism in the 21st century is, it is even more surprising in the art and glamour industry. Celebrities belonging to certain colors and religions are not immune to the vices of discrimination, and it has been proven time and again in certain incidents.
In a recent such incident, the singer and star of ‘The Color Purple‘, Fantasia Barrino has alleged that she and her family were discriminated against based on her race while she sought to book an Airbnb property for her son’s birthday celebration.
“My Stomach Is Uneasy”: Fantasia Barrino Narrates Ordeal
Fantasia Barrino took to X (formerly Twitter) to narrate her disheartening ordeal. In the series of posts, she detailed the discomfort she and her family had to face recently after an Airbnb host mistreated them.
Asserting that she barely speaks up when she is done wrong, Barrino said she cannot take the insult and mistreatment her family had to face. “My stomach is so uneasy this morning,” Barrino tweeted.
“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 from a host with @Airbnb @airbnbhelp trying to kick my kids and I out at 12:00 midnight,” she wrote further in the post.
My stomach is so uneasy this morning as I’m riding back to my home in the cold and rain. 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 from a host with @Airbnb @airbnbhelp trying to kick my kids and I out at 12:00…
— Fantasia Taylor (@TasiasWord) December 17, 2023
The singer had rented a house on Airbnb for her son and friends to celebrate his birthday. She clarified that her family was following all the rules, and yet they were accused of breaking them.
“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,” she wrote in the post.
She went on to explain how the Airbnb website did not explicitly prohibit having people over, and the amenities, such as an outdoor fire pit and jacuzzi, game room, and wall sayings.
Barrino said the place indicated a history of gatherings at the property. She also claimed that after the party concluded, the number of guests staying overnight aligned with the reservation she had made, indicating that no rules were broken at all.
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Airbnb Responds To Barrino
“It’s evident to me this was racial profiling, and the treatment we received was due to the color of our skin,” Barrino wrote. “I wanted my son to enjoy his friends (10-12) year old and make him feel special as I have been traveling for the last 35+ days promoting a movie I starred in. This time, I dare not stay quiet,” she wrote.
Barrino’s post got a prompt response from Airbnb’s help account on X, affirming the company’s stance against discrimination. The company requested her to get in touch with them with a direct message through their email address for further follow-up.
She also narrated the incident on Instagram, posted with photos of the children during the birthday celebration. “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 said in the Instagram post.
However, she said that after some time, “we were asked to leave without warning. 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,” she wrote.
The comments section of the post sympathized with her, and appreciated her for speaking up against the injustice.
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