Vacation rental giant Airbnb has partnered with acclaimed actor Danny Glover as an advisor as part of its ongoing attempt to improve diversity on its platform and fight racial discrimination against guests of color.
It's part of the push the short-term rental company is making to promote staying in communities of color. He'll be joining the NAACP in Airbnb's work to educate, train and "take advantage of the economic opportunity of hosting" on the service, according to a statement.
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Danny Glover's history as a philanthropist and activist make him a good fit for what Airbnb is trying to achieve.
Janaye Ingram, Director of Partnerships comments, "Airbnb is excited to welcome Danny Glover to our community as an adviser for our efforts to engage communities of colour and ensure they are able to take advantage of the economic opportunity of hosting on our platform. Many people know Mr. Glover from his memorable performances in world-renowned films and television programs, but progressives throughout America and the world know Mr. Glover as a steadfast advocate for social justice. For more than five decades, Mr. Glover has fought for economic empowerment in communities of colour. We're honoured to be working with him to ensure that all guests feel at home on Airbnb—no matter who they are, what they look like, or where they're from."
The company has been aggressively working to rebuild its reputation since early 2016 when stories of hosts rejecting potential guests based on their race started cropping up. Airbnb went as far as taking out an ad during this year's Super Bowl that denounced discrimination and racism.
Since then, Airbnb has announced a partnership with the NAACP that would work to improve its workforce diversity and return 20 percent of rental proceeds to the organization. That's in addition to actively helping people of color renting out their homes or spare rooms.