Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Prepared by The Black@ Airbnb Employee Resource Group: Activism & Allyship Guide
Prepared by The Black@ Airbnb Employee Resource Group: Activism & Allyship Guide
Background
Injustice is something that exists in the world and is faced daily by many different types of
people. For many Black people, it ranges from microaggressions1, like a woman clutching her
purse when approaching a Black man or a person telling a Black woman she looks “neat and
clean,” to death either at the hands of the police or someone else who believes they are within
their right to invalidate a Black person’s life. When many of these instances come to light by
way of social media or the news, people want to find ways that they can be helpful or support
the cause. It is in these moments that you see people engaging in online activism by sharing
posts; participating in a solidarity activity like wearing hoodies or buying skittles in support of
Trayvon; running in support of Ahmaud; singing “We are not afraid” in support of Breonna
Taylor, or participating in marches and spontaneous protests. While these acts are important,
helping to underscore the unity of people who are enraged by these situations, there is more
that can be done to truly advance the cause of justice. Those actions may look different based
on how you exist in the world, but ultimately, everyone has a role to play in creating a more
equitable society.
If we are to advance the cause of racial justice, it has to be done both in the moments when we
are outraged and in the quiet moments when there isn’t a new hashtag borne out of a specific
moment of injustice. It is about changing attitudes and beliefs that ultimately lead to actions. It
is hard work, to be sure, but it is the real work that will move the needle.
Active Campaigns
In Support of George Floyd
● Sign this petition to demand the police officers that strangled George Floyd are charged
or text George Floyd to 5515
● Call (612) 324-4499 to be connected with offices that have the authority to charge the
officers in the murder of George Floyd
● Donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund directly or through Benevity to help provide bail
for people protesting against the killing of George Floyd or to learn about other local
organizations on the front lines
Data Sources
● Learn about The Citizens Police Data Project
● Mapping Police Violence
● Data on Racial Economic Inequality
Daring Discussion Guides
The goal of “Daring Discussions” is for participants on different sides of a given issue to learn
about one another's personal experiences and perspectives as a starting place to gain
compassion, respect and stronger relationships. Participants are asked to commit to avoiding
judgment, defensiveness and anger and to try to express any negative feelings and different
views constructively from a place of giving as opposed to being oppositional or needing to be
right.
To become an ally, you must seek understanding of the lived experiences of a particular person
or group of people. Here is the Daring Discussions toolkit to help guide you through meaningful
conversations with someone about a topic or set of topics that will help you build empathy and
compassion for marginalized people.
Allyship Interventions
● 20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now
● Anti-racism resources
● Learn about the 75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
● Revolution: Hear Malcom X, Angela Davis, MLK Jr., and others speak out
● BLM: A Playlist
Books/Articles/Media
This list below is not exhaustive and should be considered a starting point for anyone looking to
learn more about the history of inequities and how they were created. There are many other
articles, books, podcasts and other media that you can use to further your own self-awareness.
Articles
● Affirming Black Lives without Inducing Trauma
● The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias by Dolly Chugh
● Why We Need to Talk About Race
● The Enduring Solidarity of Whiteness by Ta-Nehisi Coates
● Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life
● The Intersectionality Wars
● What is Intersectionality and What Does It Have to Do with Me?
● We Need Co-conspirators Not Allies: How White Americans Can Fight Racism
● The 1619 Project
● Bear Witness, Record, De-escalate; How race may affect what bystanders are called to
do in cases like George Floyd’s
Books
● Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, change the world, and become a good
ancestor by Layla F. Saad
● Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
● Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson
● White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin
DiAngelo
● Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by
Jennifer Eberhardt
● Blind Spot by Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald
● The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by
Richard Rothstein
● Slavery By Another Name by Douglass A. Blackmon
● The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
● Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes affect us and what we can do by Claude Steele
● Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson
Podcasts
● Pod Save the People hosted by DeRay Mckesson
● Code Switch
● The Nod
● The Stoop
● Identity Politics
● 1619 Audio Series
● On One with Angela Rye
Organizations to Support
Here are some of the organizations Airbnb has supported or currently work with:
● NAACP
● United Negro College Fund
● Color of Change
● National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
● National Action Network
● National Urban League
● Rainbow PUSH
● Data For Black Lives
● National Council of Negro Women