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To deal with widespread discrimination on its service, Airbnb has put together a bevy of outside experts to address the issue.
The latest name to be added to that list is the biggest one yet: Former Obama administration U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
In a blog post announcing the news, CEO Brian Chesky said that “while we have a policy that prohibits discrimination, we want this policy to be stronger,” and that Holder’s job will be to help create it.
Holder’s arrival comes during what’s been a difficult 2016 for Airbnb on this topic. Earlier this year, many users, particularly black users, began sharing stories of how they’ve been discriminated against on the short-term home rental platform. The hashtag #AirbnbWhileBlack trended worldwide, and startups like Noirebnb and Noirbnb (they’re different companies, we swear) launched to capitalize on the issue.
At the company’s annual OpenAir conference in June, Chesky and other Airbnb execs publicly committed themselves to completely reexamining Airbnb’s anti-discrimination policies. In today’s blog post, Chesky said this review is halfway complete.
Other people on the outside team that Holder is joining include John Relman, “a leading civil rights attorney and national expert on fair housing and public accommodation issues.” Former ACLU official Laura Murphy is spearheading the ongoing review process.
In a statement provided to Recode by Airbnb (that you can read in full below), Holder says he’s excited to develop a “world-class anti-discrimination policy”:
I’m looking forward to working with Airbnb to develop and implement a world-class anti-discrimination policy. Airbnb is committed to building a community where everyone can belong, no matter who they are or what they look like. I'm eager to help them craft policies that will be the model for companies who share Airbnb's commitment to diversity and inclusion.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
