Training will occur at all Starbucks company-owned stores and will
apply to nearly 175,000 U.S. partners (employees)
Curriculum to be designed by nationally recognized experts and will
be available for other companies to use
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX) today announced it will be
closing its more than 8,000 company-owned stores in the United States
on the afternoon of May 29 to conduct racial-bias education geared
toward preventing discrimination in our stores. The training will be
provided to nearly 175,000 partners (employees) across the country and
will become part of the onboarding process for new partners.
“I’ve spent the last few days in Philadelphia with my leadership team
listening to the community, learning what we did wrong and the steps we
need to take to fix it,” said Starbucks ceo Kevin Johnson. “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.”
All Starbucks company-owned retail stores and corporate offices will be
closed in the afternoon of Tuesday, May 29. During that time, partners
will go through a training program designed to address implicit bias,
promote conscious inclusion, prevent discrimination and ensure everyone
inside a Starbucks store feels safe and welcome.
“The company’s founding values are based on humanity and inclusion,”
said executive chairman Howard Schultz, who joined Johnson and other
senior Starbucks leaders in Philadelphia to meet with community leaders
and Starbucks partners. “We will learn from our mistakes and reaffirm
our commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment for every customer.”
The curriculum will be developed with guidance from several national and
local experts confronting racial bias, including Bryan Stevenson,
founder and executive director of the Equal Justice
Initiative; Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP
Legal Defense and Education Fund; Heather McGhee, president of Demos;
former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder; and Jonathan Greenblatt, ceo
of the Anti-Defamation League. Starbucks will involve these experts in
monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of the measures we undertake.
Earlier this week, Starbucks began a review of its training and
practices to make important reforms where necessary to ensure our
stores always represent our Mission and Values, by providing a safe and
inclusive environment for our customers and partners.
Once completed, the company will make the education materials available
to other companies, including our licensee partners, for use with their
employees and leadership.
About Starbucks
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically
sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than
28,000 stores around the globe, Starbucks is the premier roaster and
retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering
commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to
life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience,
please visit our stores or online at Starbucks.com
and news.starbucks.com.
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Source: Starbucks Coffee Company