Fantasia Barrino says she and her family were the victims of racial profiling during a recent stay at an Airbnb.
She took to social media on December 17 to express the “uneasy” feeling she had after a birthday trip celebrating her son was cut short due to alleged unfair treatment based on her skin color.
“My stomach is so uneasy this morning as I’m riding back to my home in the cold and rain,” Barrino wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “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 added that the Airbnb host accused the group of having a party, with loud noise as an issue.
“The amount of guests we reserved for are the amount of guest who stayed the night,” she wrote. “They never said we weren’t allowed to have any company over.”
In her note, Barrino pointed to details that might suggest parties were held at the home in the past, from the “well-equipped game room” to the “weights with ballon ribbon left in the garage.”
In a similar message on Instagram, The Color Purple star suggested the group had been “screened on various Ring cameras” and that “(gaining an understanding) wasn’t the desire.”
“It’s evident to me this was racial profiling and the treatment we received was due to the color of our skin,” she said on X, adding, “This time, I dare not stay quiet.”
Airbnb, in a response to Barrino’s tweet, directed the singer to its nondiscrimination policy and asked if she would send a message so their team could follow up.
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
