Airbnb’s ‘slave cabin’ in Mississippi removed after TikTok virus branded it racist

Airbnb removed a listing in Mississippi after a viral TikTok video revealed it was advertised as a “slave shack” that gave guests a “historically accurate depiction of life”.

The listing for Panther Burn Cottage at the Belmont Plantation in Greenville, Mississippi, claimed to be where slaves once lived in the United States.

He was criticized in a TikTok video created by Wynton Yates, a black lawyer from New Orleans.

“How is it acceptable in someone’s mind to rent that?” said Yates. “A place where human beings were kept as slaves, renting it out as a bed and breakfast? »

Yates shared screenshots of the listing, which showed a small wooden cabin with one bedroom and one bathroom next to a huge main house on the estate.

On Airbnb, the cabin was described as “an 1830s slave cabin from the existing Panther Burn plantation south of Belmont”.

“It was also used as a sharecropper’s hut and as a doctor’s office for local farmers and their families to visit the plantation doctor.”

In her video, which gained 2.6 million views, Yates said the host failed to recognize how insensitive the cabin listing was.

“Maybe you’re thinking, ‘Okay, maybe this will give people some insight into how slaves must have lived, their living conditions. Not at all. Clawfoot tub, running water, tile, nice light fixtures, water, towels, chest of drawers,” he said.

“The history of slavery in this country is constantly denied and now it is being mocked by turning it into a luxurious resort.”

The listing, which had 68 reviews and a high rating of 4.97 according to Yates’ screenshot, has since been removed by Airbnb.

Brad Hauser became the owner of the property three weeks ago and claims it was the previous owner who advertised it as a slave shack.

In a statement to NBC News, he apologized for any insult caused

“I apologize for the decision to offer our guests a stay in the ‘slave quarters’ behind the 1857 pre-war house which is now a bed and breakfast,” he said. “I also apologize for insulting African Americans whose ancestors were slaves.”

However, Hauser said the cabin was not actually part of the original plantation and the previous owner said it was a medical practice.

According to Yates, this only made the situation worse.

“If it actually wasn’t a slave shack, that doesn’t make it any better because it’s an added romance of slavery. It makes it even more horrible that you think slavery is a selling point,” Yates told NBC.

He said companies like Airbnb need better policies to avoid these issues in the first place.

“Properties that once housed slaves have no place on Airbnb,” the company said in a statement.

“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 resolve this issue.”

Airbnb also said it was working with experts to develop new policies for handling similar properties.