Starbucks CEO, Kevin Johnson has decided to close all Starbucks locations the afternoon of May 29th for racial bias education. This comes on the heels of the arrest of two black men in Philadelphia for not purchasing anything, but were waiting for a friend in the store. Johnson called the arrests ‘reprehensible’ and offered to meet with the two men involved. He has been in Philadelphia talking to customers to see what they can do to fix the issues. Johnson said, “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.” On the afternoon of Thursday, May 29, nearly 175,000 Starbucks employees from 8,000 stores and those working in the corporate office will go through training “designed to address implicit bias, promote conscious inclusion, prevent discrimination and ensure everyone inside a Starbucks store feels safe and welcome.” The other time Starbucks closed all of its locations at once was in 2008 for espresso training.
The manager that called police has since left the company.
