OPINION
In this article, you will read two voices. The regular font is of Wandile Mthiyane, the victim of racial discrimination at his Airbnb. The italics are Jillie Johnston, his friend, trying to advocate on his behalf with AirBnb.
In early October, I needed a retreat to work on Anti-Racist Hot Dog, a diversity, equity and inclusivity startup I began in 2021 that helps businesses address racial disparities in their companies. When I reached my Airnb in Durban, the owner explained the rules of the house.
There was actually only one rule: watch out for the owner’s racist dog, who bites black people. So the owner requested we coordinate when I would be outside.
I initially thought she was joking but quickly realised she was serious. She told me how her dog had bitten her black housekeeper and other black household staff. Her Airbnb profile had not disclosed that she had a pet, so I didn’t know I would need to prepare to share open spaces with a dog, let alone one that would hate me.
In disbelief, I posted about the incident on Twitter. It went viral. Twitter users expressed shock and rage; others called on Airbnb to fix the problem. Still, more told their own stories about similar incidents.
I knew I needed to get out of there as quickly as possible while ensuring my safety as I left the property without retaliation from the host. Although I wanted Airbnb to be aware of the issue, I was afraid they would delegitimise my experience, forfeit my refund, and not change their policies if I left. So I decided to stay and go through Airbnb’s process.
On October 5th at 3:45 pm (SAST), I got a message from Wandile that was a picture of his tweet that went viral. I am located in Colorado.
I just got into my Airbnb, and my white South African host told me she has a racist dog, so I should coordinate with her when to be outside. I swear I wish I were making this shit up
Wandile Mthiyane (@wandileubuntu) October 5, 2022
He forwarded the audio recording to me. I hear the woman sweetly saying, “my dog is racist. It’s a rescue, and probably was harmed in the township.” She then nonchalantly shared that it had bitten every black person on the property. When she tied the dog to township life, she made an assumption and stereotype based on her biases. Learn more here about microaggressions and the harm they cause.
_When we think of a racist, we think of someone who is hateful in their speech, who uses hateful language, and who is overtly racist. Unfortunately, racism runs far deeper. Hurt is not dependent on the tone, like in this case, but on the ignorance, privilege, and lack of understanding one person has for another’s experience. _
Airbnb is a global company that claims it is “committed to building a world where people from every background feel welcome and respected, no matter how far they have travelled from home.”
Airbnb’s policy requires the account holder to speak to support, which meant I was unable to step in to help my friend during a time of crisis, leaving the emotional, mental, and time burden on the person experiencing a trauma response.
Airbnb reiterated they knew it was an urgent matter and that the case had been escalated properly; all we could do now was wait. However, it had already been eight hours.
Some people have wondered why the police weren’t called from the beginning. Depending on their location, the local law enforcement’s response times and reactions depend on the race and class, not just of the area but also of the person calling. We had no idea how long it would take, what the response would be, if a safe exit from Airbnb could be ensured, or if the host would retaliate.
Despite the urgency, there was no timeline on when he could be removed safely and no guarantee the host would only be contacted once he was rehoused.
_By this time, it was almost 1 am SAST. _
Twelve hours later, Airbnb responded to me and I was safely taken out of that location – 12 hours of no sleep, being caged in the house, and uncertain of what the immediate future would hold.
A week after the incident, I got an email from Airbnb saying they found the owner not guilty of violating their discrimination policy. In other words, having an undisclosed vicious dog that only targets black people and still hosts guests in one’s Airbnb is perfectly fine.
When I posted on Instagram, a good friend of mine, Christine Mapondera, commented and best articulated how I feel: “Wow, the sh*t we have to deal with. I want to walk, swim, relax, window shop, and simply live without giving up an ounce of my dignity.”
Even though I was eventually refunded for my stay, I had lost three days of work, business, and, most importantly, my dignity, routine, structure, and mental health. The time, energy, and mental health toll it took on me is still something I am fighting over a week later. The cost of racism doesn’t lie in the service you lost. It lies in the inconvenience and hurt caused by the act of being denied the dignity to live your normal life.
_This isn’t the first case of racial discrimination that Airbnb has had. The Guardian shares a Harvard study that shows how anti-discrimination laws that hold large-scale landlords accountable get lost on small-scale landlords that Airbnb host. _
Airbnb has created a system and policy that continues to take advantage of and blame the victim. Without the resources, knowledge, or time to fight such discrimination, the victim is left in an unsafe situation without their dignity because of the color of their skin.
Airbnb’s discrimination policy differs outside of the US, Canada, and Europe. The protections and policies aim to protect the host rather than the guest. Why can’t it protect both?
Our goal is to hold Airbnb and other big businesses accountable, not just to say they are making a change but to actually make a change. We have spent centuries allowing our laws, practices, and policies to hurt communities of people and perpetuate racism. Now we have a responsibility to change that. But this doesn’t start or stop with businesses, organisations, and corporations. It starts with individual people. What breaks my heart in this situation is even when there’s an audio and video recording of this incident, some of my white friends gave the AirbnB host the benefit of the doubt instead of me. “Could it be that you misunderstood her…?” They asked me. “She seems like a nice lady; maybe teach her to articulate herself better…”
Their questions expose the politics of race and unconscious bias. Even in dire circumstances, people choose affiliation based on race rather than objective circumstances. They are more likely to empathize with a stranger who looks like them than their friend.
Why is the burden on the victim to fix the perpetrator while the victim is still nursing the wounds the perpetrator inflicted? The absurdity of the situation lies in how the Victims are meant to educate their perpetrators while trying not to bleed out. They are meant to try to survive while simultaneously having sympathy for the person trying to hurt them.
When I started the Anti-Racist Hot Dog in 2021, it was in response to a restaurant in a historically white part of town denying me entry because of my skin color. My Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) startup helps companies and institutions curate, nurture, and measure inclusivity through Anti-Racist Hot Dog Parties. Ironically, I didn’t think I’d have to deal with actual racist dogs. I guess it’s time to add a veterinary arm to our practice.
Wandile Mthiyane is a political analyst, adjunct professor, and architect who holds a master’s in architecture from Andrews University in the US. He is an Obama Foundation Leader, Resolution Fellow, and the CEO of The Anti-Racist Hotdog. Follow him on Twitter & Instagram: @wandileubuntu
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