Starbucks Canada will close 1,000+ stores for racial bias education this June

May 4 2018, 10:52 pm

After recent controversy regarding a video of the wrongful arrests of two African American men for ‘trespassing’ when they were waiting for a friend in a Philadelphia Starbucks, the coffee chain has been trying to recover.

This video sparked public outrage and in turn, prompted Starbucks to implement company-wide racial bias training in the States, and it looks like Canadian Starbucks’ employees will be taking part too.

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The company will close 1,095 stores along with their regional offices across the country for a portion of June 11 for bias education sessions.

In a letter sent to their partners across Canada on May 4, Starbucks Canada President Michael Conway outlined the reasoning for his decision to close down all company-operated stores and offices for a portion of June 11.

Our founding values are based on humanity and inclusion. We believe that everyone deserves to be treated with respect. That’s core to being a Starbucks partner and it’s why we’re proud to be partners.

We must never be complacent in our desire to be inclusive and to live our Mission and Values in every community we serve. It’s also important that our partners are supported and have the clarity they need to create a culture of warmth and belonging every time.

On Monday June 11, 2018 we will close all our company-operated stores and offices across Canada for a portion of the afternoon, for partners to participate in a training session designed to address implicit bias, promote conscious inclusion, and ensure everyone inside a Starbucks store feels safe and welcome.

This will be an important investment in each of us, as we come together to re-commit to our Mission and Values. Please stay tuned for more details.

Starbucks had previously announced it will be closing 8,000 of its US stores for a portion of the afternoon on May 29 for the same training.
Hanna McLeanHanna McLean

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