clearing the air
Airbnb apologizes for '1830s slave cabin' listing
Airbnb has apologized and removed a listing for an "1830s slave cabin" after being called out in a viral TikTok.
The company confirmed in a statement to CNN it has removed a listing for a cottage at Belmont Plantation in Mississippi, which in its description was identified as former slave quarters.
"Properties that formerly housed the enslaved have no place on Airbnb," the company said. "We apologize for any trauma or grief created by the presence of this listing, and others like it, and that we did not act sooner to address this issue."
Wynton Yates recently slammed the listing in a viral TikTok, noting the cabin was being advertised as a bed and breakfast.
"How is this okay in somebody's mind to rent this out, a place where human beings were kept as slaves?" Yates asked, also slamming the Airbnb users who left positive reviews about their stay there.
"The history of slavery in this country is constantly denied, and now it's being mocked by being turned into a luxurious vacation spot," Yates added.
Brad Hauser told The Washington Post he took ownership of the Belmont Plantation last month and that it was "the previous owner's decision to market the building as the place where slaves once slept." Hauser added that he's "not interested in making money off slavery," and he apologized for "insulting African Americans whose ancestors were slaves."