Starbucks previews its racial-bias training
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Starbucks’ employees will listen to messages from famous actor/hip-hop artist Common, along with corporate executives when the chain closes more than 8,000 U.S. stores on the afternoon of May 29 for racial bias training.
The coffee giant shared a video preview of the May 29 curriculum, which it said “serves as a step in a long-term journey to make Starbucks even more welcoming and safe for all." (Click here for video.)
“Our hope is that these learning sessions and discussions will make a difference within and beyond our stores,” said Starbucks executive VP, U.S. retail, Rossann Williams, in a note to all U.S. associates. “After May 29, we will make the curriculum available to the public and share it with the regions as well as our licensed and business partners.”
The training is part of Starbucks’ response to the arrest of two African-American men in April at one of its stores in Philadelphia. The men, who were waiting for a third to arrive for a meeting, asked to use the restroom and were told by an employee it was only for paying customers. When they then sat in the store without ordering anything, the manager called police, and the men were arrested but the charges were later dropped.
Williams noted that “May 29 isn’t a solution, it's a first step.”
“By educating ourselves on understanding bias and how it affects our lives and the lives of the people we encounter and serve, we renew our commitment to making the third place welcoming and safe for everyone,” she said.
The day’s curriculum will set the foundation for a longer-term Starbucks’ anti-bias, diversity, equity and inclusion effort, the company said.
The coffee giant said it worked with advisers and experts to come up with a collaborative and engaging experience for store associates to learn together “in a way that is right for the values and scale of the company.” Each store will receive a tool kit which will allow for associates to learn together in small self-guided groups. This first training will focus on understanding racial bias and the history of public accommodations in the United States, with future trainings addressing all aspects of bias and experiences.
While Starbucks is closing all of its company- operated Starbucks stores on May 29, most of its 7,000 licensed stores, including those operated by major grocery stores, hotels, universities or airports, are expected to remain open. Starbucks said it is sharing its training content with its licensed business partners, so they may have the option to make it available to their employees at a later date.
The coffee giant shared a video preview of the May 29 curriculum, which it said “serves as a step in a long-term journey to make Starbucks even more welcoming and safe for all." (Click here for video.)
“Our hope is that these learning sessions and discussions will make a difference within and beyond our stores,” said Starbucks executive VP, U.S. retail, Rossann Williams, in a note to all U.S. associates. “After May 29, we will make the curriculum available to the public and share it with the regions as well as our licensed and business partners.”
The training is part of Starbucks’ response to the arrest of two African-American men in April at one of its stores in Philadelphia. The men, who were waiting for a third to arrive for a meeting, asked to use the restroom and were told by an employee it was only for paying customers. When they then sat in the store without ordering anything, the manager called police, and the men were arrested but the charges were later dropped.
Williams noted that “May 29 isn’t a solution, it's a first step.”
“By educating ourselves on understanding bias and how it affects our lives and the lives of the people we encounter and serve, we renew our commitment to making the third place welcoming and safe for everyone,” she said.
The day’s curriculum will set the foundation for a longer-term Starbucks’ anti-bias, diversity, equity and inclusion effort, the company said.
The coffee giant said it worked with advisers and experts to come up with a collaborative and engaging experience for store associates to learn together “in a way that is right for the values and scale of the company.” Each store will receive a tool kit which will allow for associates to learn together in small self-guided groups. This first training will focus on understanding racial bias and the history of public accommodations in the United States, with future trainings addressing all aspects of bias and experiences.
While Starbucks is closing all of its company- operated Starbucks stores on May 29, most of its 7,000 licensed stores, including those operated by major grocery stores, hotels, universities or airports, are expected to remain open. Starbucks said it is sharing its training content with its licensed business partners, so they may have the option to make it available to their employees at a later date.