Outraged Black woman leaves Airbnb rental after finding disturbing cotton and monkey furniture, according to viral video

A video that went viral on TikTok has disturbed 1000’s of viewers, showing the racist décor of a rental apartment that a black woman allegedly booked on Airbnb.

Erica W., whose TikTok username is @tasteofmelanin, posted a video to her account on July 28 showing several disturbing pieces of furniture in the house she rents, including monkey toys and fake cotton plants and branches.

One of the ornamental elements seen within the film was a man-made cotton branch held on the wall, from which plush monkeys hung.

Also on the ground was a basket filled with fake cotton, a vase full of cotton branches, and a big plant with stuffed monkeys hanging from it.

While it’s unclear where the Airbnb was positioned, the footage also shows a wood plaque on the fireside with the form of the state of Virginia carved into it, and on the wall, beneath a deer head trophy.

During the 18th and nineteenth centuries, cotton was certainly one of the first slave crops within the South, and monkeys are sometimes utilized in bigoted depictions of black people.

The video has racked up greater than two million views and 1000’s of comments because it was posted, with many viewers expressing shock on the decor and suggesting that Erica W. report the house to a vacation rental company.

“Take pictures to upload to Airbnb. This is really crazy,” one viewer said.

“No, it has to be intentional,” one other person wrote.

“POV: They saw who booked the room,” read one other comment.

In an update posted to the comments, Erica W. said she immediately left the house and Airbnb contacted her and removed the listing from the channels where it markets its marketplace.

Atlanta Black Star also reached out to Erica W. and Airbnb for more information concerning the rental.