Starbucks to close more than 8,000 stores for one day on May 29 for racial-bias training
Starbucks will close more than 8,000 company-owned stores on May 29 to conduct racial-bias education after an incident at one of its stores in Philadelphia.
According to the company, the training will be provided to nearly 175,000 employees across the country.
This comes after two black men were arrested for trespassing last week while waiting on an acquaintance for a business meeting. A company spokesman confirmed Monday that the manager who called police is no longer an employee at the store.
The arrests sparked protests and calls for a boycott on social media.
Starbucks ceo Kevin Johnson, who called the arrests "reprehensible," arrived in Philadelphia this weekend to personally confront the crisis. He met with the two men Monday, the company's spokeswoman said. Johnson had also promised to revamp store management training to include the "unconscious-bias" training.
"I watched the video, which was hard to watch. That is not what Starbucks is about. That is not representative of our mission, our values and our guiding principles," Johnson said.
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Starbucks said the training will address "implicit bias, promote conscious inclusion, prevent discrimination, and ensure everyone inside a Starbucks store feels safe and welcome."
"While this is not limited to Starbucks, we're committed to being a part of the solution. Closing our stores for racial bias training is just one step in a journey that requires dedication from every level of our company and partnerships in our local communities," said Johnson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
