An update on our efforts to support racial justice
One year after George Floyd’s tragic murder, Airbnb joins people around the world in honoring his legacy and reaffirming our commitment to the fight for racial justice.
The senseless violence inflicted on George Floyd and so many others is a painful reminder of the systematic racism that so many still endure around the world. His murder prompted a nationwide reckoning, but sadly we know he was not the first nor will he be the last victim of the oppression and systemic racism that communities of color have faced for too long. No one person or company can bring an end to centuries of racism, but we can join together to call out racism, bigotry and discrimination and support the people and organizations that continue to do important work to advance racial justice.
As a company built on connection and belonging, we continue to hold ourselves to a higher standard to fight racism and discrimination in our own company and community. In partnership with Color Of Change and with guidance from civil rights and privacy rights organizations, last June we introduced Project Lighthouse, an initiative to uncover, measure and help overcome discrimination when booking or hosting on Airbnb. We look forward to sharing more about this effort in the coming months.
We have also developed a decision-making framework to guide how our company addresses social issues. This framework considers the interests of all our stakeholders, relationship to our purpose of advancing connections and belonging, and takes into account that as a US headquartered company with two-thirds of our workforce in the US, we have a specific responsibility to address issues here. The framework makes it very clear that we as a company need to recommit to working with civil rights organizations, national leaders, activists and the Airbnb community in the fight for racial justice.
We also know meaningful change requires action. In the past year, Airbnb stood in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, civil rights organizations, and activists to support the movement for racial justice that George Floyd’s life inspired. In addition, last June Airbnb donated $500,000 to the NAACP and Black Lives Matter Foundation and recently made an additional $100,000 contribution to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund to support their work to protect the right to vote. We also matched employee donations to the Black Lives Matter Foundation, NAACP, and other civil rights organizations and updated our Activism and Allyship Guide as a resource to employees, Hosts and guests.
The fight for racial justice continues, but it has sparked a movement for change and progress. Airbnb will continue to be an ally in that fight for a more just and inclusive world.