FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2019
Spokes Person: President, Seattle/King County NAACP
EMAIL: communications@seattlekingcountynaacp.org
president@seattlekingcountynaacp.org

​The Seattle King County NAACP wants to congratulate and uplift the victory of the Byrn Mawr tenants in Skyway, WA, against a racist attempt to evict multiple families from their housing complex. This is an example of the strength of people-powered advocacy. According to Byrn Mawr Plaza leader, Mergitu Argo, “this was racism. For the NAACP to step in and fight for us, it was helpful.”
 
Seattle King County NAACP President, and NAACP Housing Chair Clifford Cawthon, worked with community activists the week of June 17, 2019, to prevent the eviction of tenants at the Byrn Mawr Plaza Apartments in Skyway, WA. This was a fight that involved extensive advocacy from NAACP Housing Chair Clifford Cawthon, with the cooperation of Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant.
 
The Seattle King County NAACP branch is a 110-year-old organization, which was alerted to this situation by community allies, and after contacting the tenants and looking at the relevant evidence, sent a letter June 23, 2019, to the landlords on the matter. As of this Press Release, there has been no response from the landlords. Thereafter, the NAACP reached out to King County authorities and the landlords to seek a resolution. We were, and continue to be, proud to stand with tenants who are facing injustice, or anyone who is facing racial discrimination in King County.

The Seattle-King County NAACP wants to urge King County Council, Councilmember Larry Gossett (D2) and Council Chair Rod Dembowski (D1), to pass Just Cause Eviction Legislation.
 
We sincerely hope that they push this urgent matter forward toward fighting for Just Cause Eviction legislation, which would affect thousands of their constituents. This is an urgent issue for renters across King County, particularly in unincorporated areas. Across King County, hundreds of thousands of residents would be protected from being denied housing due to implicit racial bias or retaliation among landlords. As it stands, this is a core denial of everyone’s right of equality under the law.

**PRESS CONFERENCE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5 AT 10:30 AM *
 
Airbnb and NAACP To Announce Partnership for Seattle
The Country’s Oldest and Largest Civil Rights Organization joins Airbnb to Launch Seattle Program to Spread The Benefits of Homesharing to Local Residents
 
Seattle, Washington - On Wednesday, June 5, 2019, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Airbnb will join together at the Northwest African American Museum to announce the regional launch of its national partnership. In 2017, the two organizations came together to announce a program that included targeted outreach to communities of color to help more people use their homes to earn extra income. Seattle is the second partnership launch of 2019 and part of Airbnb and the NAACP’s joint efforts to continue to ensure that the benefits of homesharing reach all communities.
 
The partnership between Airbnb and the NAACP includes commitments across the community that will be outlined at the press conference.
 
WHO: Seattle Unit President, NAACP
Janaye Ingram, Director of National Partnerships, Airbnb
Jacquelyne Ward-Richardson, National Fair Housing
Manager, NAACP
 
WHAT: Announcement of partnership between Airbnb and NAACP Seattle
 
WHEN: Wednesday June 5, 2019
10:30 AM
 
WHERE: Northwest African American Museum
2300 S Massachusetts St, Seattle, WA 98144
 
About the NAACP
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our Economic Opportunity “Game Changer” issue by visiting http://www.naacp.org/issues/economic-opportunity/.

About Airbnb
Founded in 2008, Airbnb exists to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, providing healthy travel that is local, authentic, diverse, inclusive and sustainable. Airbnb uniquely leverages technology to economically empower millions of people around the world to unlock and monetize their spaces, passions and talents to become hospitality entrepreneurs. Airbnb’s accommodation marketplace provides access to 6+ million unique places to stay in nearly 100,000 cities and 191 countries. With Experiences, Airbnb offers unprecedented access to local communities and interests through 30,000+ unique, handcrafted activities run by hosts across 1,000+ markets around the world. Airbnb’s people-to-people platform benefits all its stakeholders, including hosts, guests, employees and the communities in which it operates.