Airbnb, NAACP seek to bolster economic opportunity on South Side

A partnership on the South Side hopes to create economic opportunities in underserved communities through an online hospitality company.

The partnership between Airbnb and the NAACP will also work to increase Airbnb’s goals toward diversifying its workforce.

“This partnership with Airbnb is an opportunity for black families across Chicago to earn valuable extra income in a way that works for them,” Rose Joshua, president of NAACP Chicago Southside, said in a statement. “Chicagoans can use the income they earn on Airbnb to pay the bills, start their own business, or save for retirement.”

The NAACP chapter will help launch an information campaign to explain the economic benefits offering homes for short-term rentals via Airbnb.

“NAACP is committed to economic justice and to building wealth in the black community, and this is one way that people can get ahead and put more money in their pockets,” Joshua said.

The chapter will also help Airbnb increase diversity among its workforce and it will advise Airbnb’s Supplier Diversity Program to help connect Airbnb to a diverse network of businesses. These suppliers can offer a range of services like security testing and marketing.

Airbnb has set a goal that 10% of its spending goes to suppliers owned by underrepresented communities, women, veterans and members of the LGBTQ community by the end of 2019.

“I think we want people to know about these types of opportunities,” said Janaye Ingram, Airbnb’s director of national partnerships. “We want to be intentional and want to show that this is true economic empowerment for communities that are often overlooked.”

The new partnership, Ingram said, will spend a great deal of time engaging people and showcasing the various possibilities of earning money with Airbnb.

Airbnb and NAACP are hosting a community meeting at 6 p.m. today at Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave., and at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Place.

Manny Ramos is a corps member of Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster Sun-Times coverage of Chicago’s South Side and West Side.