Starbucks closing 8,000 stores for anti-bias training

More than 8,000 Starbucks stores nationwide will close Tuesday as the company conducts anti-bias training.

Starbucks released a preview of its curriculum that 175,000 employees will participate in following backlash from the arrest of two black men at a coffee shop in Philadelphia last month.

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The company is closing for what it is calling a “conversation and learning session on race, bias and the building of a diverse welcoming company.”

The training is a “step in a long-term journey” to make Starbucks more welcoming.

“Our hope is that these learning sessions and discussions will make a difference within and beyond our stores,” Starbucks Executive Vice President of U.S. Retail Rossann Williams said. “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. Starbucks is a company built on nurturing the human spirit, and it’s on us to harness our scale and expertise to do right by the communities we serve. 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.”

The company released a preview video of the curriculum. You can watch it here.

Several company-wide changes were made after Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were asked to leave after one was denied access to use the restroom in a Philadelphia Starbucks shop. They were arrested minutes later when they sat down to wait for a scheduled business meeting. The two hadn’t purchased anything and it was policy to ask people who didn’t buy anything to leave.

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The two men settled with Starbucks for an undisclosed sum. The company also offered them free college education.

Philadelphia reached a symbolic deal of $1 with Nelson and Robinson and a promise to set up a $200,000 program for young entrepreneurs.

The arrests in Philadelphia put a spotlight on “unconscious bias training.” Such training is used by corporations and organizations to address racism in the workplace.

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