Starbucks

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Starbucks Corporation, based in Seattle, Washington, is an American international coffeehouse and roastery chain. Starbucks, as the world's biggest coffeehouse chain, is widely regarded as the face of America's second wave of coffee culture.[1]

History

Starbucks 1912 Pike Place, Seattle, USA (September 28, 2015)

Starbucks first opened its doors in 1971. The firm had just one store at the time, in Seattle's historic Pike Place Market. Starbucks served some of the world's best fresh-roasted whole bean coffees from a small boutique. The name was influenced by Moby Dick and evoked the romance of the high seas as well as the early coffee traders' seafaring culture. Howard Schultz (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks) first walked into a Starbucks store in 1981. Howard was attracted to Starbucks by his first cup of Sumatra and entered a year later. Howard toured Italy in 1983 and became enamored of Italian coffee shops and the romance of the coffee experience. He had a dream of reintroducing the Italian coffeehouse culture to America. A gathering spot for chat and camaraderie. Between work and house, there is a third choice. He briefly quit Starbucks to open his own Il Giornale coffeehouses, then returned in August 1987 to buy the company with the help of local investors.[2] Now Starbucks operating across 80 markets with total 30,000 stores (as of June 30, 2019).[3]

Captured from social media video shown 2 African American men arrested at Starbucks Philadelphia
Rashon Nelson, left, listens as and Donte Robinson, right, addresses a reporter’s question during an interview with the Associated Press in Philadelphia. Photograph: Jacqueline Larma/AP

Racist Incident at Philadelphia

On April 12, 2018, two African American entrepreneurs convened at a Starbucks in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square neighborhood for a business lunch. They sat without eating as they expected a local businessman to come for the conference. Despite the fact that they were not being abusive or offensive, the shop manager called 911 on them. When the cops came shortly after the call was made and they arrested the young men.[4]

Melissa DePino, a young woman who also sits inside Starbucks, reported this incident. Melissa DePino testified that the other day she stayed for hours without being asked to buy something or leave. She testified that the two men did nothing illegal and did not cause any disruptions. The store manager ordered them to go, but they declined because they were already waiting for another man to appear for their business meeting. Then, the store manager called 911 to report them for trespassing.

The two men were then apprehended and handcuffed by officers. As seen in the footage, these two men displayed no resistance during the incident, suggesting that they did not resist arrest. Both men were eventually released, and the charges against them — trespassing and disturbing the peace — were dropped later that evening. Since Starbucks asked not to file charges, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner declined to sue. Starbucks was chastised by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, who said the incident "appears to exemplify what racial injustice feels like in 2018." [5]

The event was also criticized by Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) of Pennsylvania, who said in a statement today that "it shows that black people can't even 'wait until black.'" "By handling these men and all of its customers in this unjust and demeaning manner, Starbucks has disappointed these men and all of its customers," Shuford said. "There was no need for police action, according to all eyewitness reports. Starbucks workers treated these men with contempt." [6]

Protesters inside the Starbucks in Philadelphia. Photograph: Jacqueline Larma/AP
Starbucks Protest at Philadelphia 2018. Photo: Agence France-Presse

The Protests and #BoycottStarbucks

This racist incident has sparked mass outrage and demonstrations. Protesters met at a downtown Philadelphia Starbucks on Sunday, and then organized a sit-in inside the store. "Today, we don't want Starbucks to make more profits. That is our objective "The Associated Press spoke with Abdul-Aliy Muhammad, one of the protest's organisers and co-founder of the Black and Brown Workers Collective. The protesters had requested that Starbucks fire the store's manager. Later, the store manager resigned from Starbucks.

Not satisfied with the local protests, internet users created the hashtag #BoycottStarbucks and encouraged people to shop at other coffee shops or at black-owned cafes. "Let's make one thing really clear....This is not a boycott @Starbucks case," Kevin Hart tweeted in reaction to the incident. This is terrible management. The on-duty manager was wrong. It's that simple...That's who needs to take responsibility for this wrong doing."[7]

Apology

Starbucks apologized on Twitter the day after the incident at Starbucks Philadelphia and issued an official press release on their website.

"First and foremost, we want to offer our heartfelt condolences to the two men who were arrested, and we want to do whatever we can to make it right. Second, we want to inform you of our efforts to look at the relevant details and make the possible updates to our procedures to help deter this from happening again. Third, I want to tell you that Starbucks is opposed to discrimination and racial profiling." Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said in an official press release

Starbucks has acknowledged that calling the cops on the two men was inappropriate, and that the incident should not represent the company's mission and values. "Customers' video is difficult to watch, and the acts shown in it are not reflective of Starbucks' mission and values. Every shop must aim to build a healthy and friendly atmosphere for all customers. Unfortunately, our procedures and preparation resulted in a negative result: the basis for the call to the Philadelphia police department was incorrect ", add Kevin Johnson in his statement.

Kevin Johnson also make a promise will learn from this and be better and conduct training for all employees.

Starbucks' Racial Bias Training

Starbucks closed more than 8,000 outlets on Tuesday, May 29 2018 to train about 175,000 employees against racial profiling as a result of a violent incident in Philadelphia, an extraordinary public operation that highlights America's continuing battle with bigotry.

"This was a foundational step in renewing Starbucks as a place where ALL people feel welcome. Starbucks partners shared life experiences, heard from others, listened to experts on bias and racial anxiety, reflecting on the realities of bias in our society and talking about how all of us can work together to create public spaces where everyone feels like they belong.", written as an opening for Starbucks Racial Bias Training[8]

More than 175,000 Starbucks workers took part in a mandatory racial bias outreach campaign on May 29, 2018 at thousands of outlets around the United States, as part of an effort sparked by the Philadelphia event. Starbucks employees gathered around a few iPads to watch nearly two dozen videos featuring Common, documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson, Starbucks executives and other prominent figures, while engaged in a wide-ranging conversation on race and identity with their peers. Starbucks' position as a "third place" for some members of the society, akin to a home and office, was stressed in the curriculum, with a focus on inspiring some workers to become "color brave" rather than "color blind."[9]

External Link

Original video from Melissa DePino Twitter, April 13, 2018.
Watch Starbucks' CEO Kevin Johnson interview with ABC News
Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson interview after the incident at The Guardian
Starbucks Official Statement, Starbucks ceo: Reprehensible outcome in Philadelphia incident
Starbucks Press Release for Racial Bias Training
Starbucks Full Curriculum for Racial Bias Training

References

  1. Sacks, Danielle. The Multimillion Dollar Quest To Brew The Perfect Cup Of Coffee, Fast Company, 18 August 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  2. Company Information, Starbucks. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  3. Starbucks Company Profile, Starbucks. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  4. Starbucks: Reaffirming Commitment to the Third Place Ideal, Harvard Business School, November 25, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  5. Hutchinson, Bill. Starbucks manager who made call resulting in black men's arrests no longer works for company, ABC News, 17 April 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  6. Hutchinson, Bill. Starbucks manager who made call resulting in black men's arrests no longer works for company, ABC News, 17 April 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  7. Kevin Hart official twitter
  8. The Third Place: Our Commitment, Renewed, Starbucks, 30 May 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  9. Calfas, Jennifer. Was Starbucks' Racial Bias Training Effective? Here's What These Employees Thought, Time, 30 May 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2020.