Back in April, an incident occurred at Starbucks in Philadelphia, where a store manager called the police on two black men who were waiting for a friend, because they had not yet purchased anything. The two men, who appear to have done absolutely nothing disruptive, let alone illegal, were arrested and placed in handcuffs.
Following the ridiculous episode, Starbucks decided that on May 29th it will shut down over 8000 of its locations for racial bias training, and to help prepare its employees, the company even released a video that outlines its goals. Interestingly enough, according to the video, employees will also be treated to a little bit of star power in their training.
Along with curricula consultation by NAACP president and director-counsel Sherrilyn Ifill, Executive Director of the Equal Justice Foundation Brian Stevenson, and a representative from liberal thinktank Demos Heather McGhee, employees will be receiving the help of celebrated socially conscious rapper Common.
The “Glory” rapper himself will be on a mission to help “people see each other fully, completely, respectfully,” according to the video.
The afternoon’s curriculum will also feature video messages from CEO Kevin Johnson and executive Chairman Howard Schultz, and a film from Stanley Nelson, a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and creator of lauded documentaries focused on African-American struggles for justice. In addition to the videos, staff members will “learn together in small self-guided groups.”
Starbucks also says the afternoon is just the first of a planned series of trainings “addressing all aspects of bias and experiences,” part of a broader agenda aimed at making its stores more welcoming for all visitors.
Check out the video below.
Photo Credit: Richard Saethang
Leave a Comment