Starbucks will close down more than 8,000 stores across the country on Tuesday for an anti-bias training, in the wake of an incident in Philadelphia that sparked a national outrage.
Starbucks faced immense backlash after an online video went viralof two black men getting arrested while waiting for a friend in a Starbucks cafe, after an employee called the police.
The company responded by firing the employee and mandating a four-hour anti-bias training, which will feature an employee discussion, a documentary, videos from Starbucks executives and members of the Perception Institute, and a message from rapper Common.
Peter Carlson, a shift manager at Starbucks in Allston, says the training potentially holds value for everyone, even those who don’t think they need it.
“I think it’s important to have it country-wide because it’s really easy, especially in an area like this, to be like, 'Oh, we’re in a cool area where everyone’s liberal and it’s not a problem,' but racism is not something that you can just say it is or it isn’t a problem,” Carlson said.
At the same time, Carlson said he’s worried the training will just be a band-aid, not a real solution.
“I’ve worked here for a long time, and I think Starbucks does a really good job of taking small steps and then like making a statement about it, and then making a profit off that statement and not necessarily making an effective change,” Carlson said. “It’s the second-most profitable corporation in the world, like, it’s a little heartless — it’s hard for me to take this as an earnest gesture.”
Starbucks headquarters has not responded for comment.
