Singer Fantasia Barrino is usually busy drinking water and minding her business, but she had to shake things up recently, alleging that she experienced racial discrimination by an Airbnb host.
She took to social media to discuss the encounter, which resulted in the singer, her son Dallas, and his friends being kicked out of the home. They were there for a sleepover, which included a hot chocolate sip-and-paint activity according to Barrino.
“My stomach is so uneasy this morning as I’m riding back to my home in the cold and rain,” The singer and actress 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 continued, “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 amount of guests we reserved for are the amount of guest who stayed the night. They never said we weren’t allowed to have any company over!! It’s evident from the sayings on the wall, to the outdoor fire pit/jacuzzi and a well equipped game room in the garage/poker table that people Hosts parties and/or gatherings here on the lake often as there were weights with balloon ribbon left in the garage from a previous party at the house.”
The singer concluded, “It’s evident to me this was racial profiling and the treatment we received was due to the color of our skin. 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.”
Barrino has been all over the media (including covering our November/December 2023 issue) thanks to the movie musical The Color Purple, where the 39-year-old plays the lead role as adult Celie. The movie is set to hit theaters nationwide on December 25.
Some social media users argued that the star was wrong and shouldn’t have had a party, even if it was small, if it was against the rules. Others argued that it wasn’t a party and was simply a sleepover with kids doing activities. In a separate Instagram post, which included an image of Dallas and his friend posing next to a life-size Sonic balloon, she further expressed her disappointment.
“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,” the mom of three wrote. “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, “Being abruptly asked to vacate a house (which proved to not be a Home) on the first night while a diverse group of technologically & robotically Inclined group of kids (one is a pianist) were winding down to sleep was unthinkable. 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. Logistically, some of the children had to be immediately taken home, with one stating they didn’t want to go home. I didn’t deserve to look or feel like I let my son and the other kids down.”
Airbnb responded to the post with a cookie cutter message claiming they don’t condone racism. A social media user called out the business in response, accusing them of doing just that and asked why people still book with them. To support their argument, said social media user also posted Airbnb data showing Black people had the lowest booking success rate among people of color. The data came from their 2020 Project Lighthouse initiative, which aimed to help tackle discrimination within Airbnb. The company is yet to make any further statement regarding the incident.