More than 8,000 Starbucks company-owned stores and offices across the United States will close in the afternoon on May 29 for a conversation and learning session on race, bias and the building of a diverse welcoming company.

Starbucks Executive Vice President, U.S. Retail, Rossann Williams shared a preview of the course and learning to all U.S. partners in which he mentioned that in the learning session and discussions will make a difference in their stores. After May 29, the company will make the curriculum available to the public and share it with the regions as well their licensed and business partners. 

Williams said, “Starbucks is a company built on nurturing the human spirit, and it’s on us to harness our scale and expertise to do right by the communities we serve. May 29 isn’t a solution, and it's a first step. By educating ourselves on understanding bias and how it affects our lives and the lives of the people we encounter and serve, we renew our commitment to making the third place welcoming and safe for everyone.”

Recognizing that there are many ways to deliver racial bias training, Starbucks has worked with advisers and experts to come up with a collaborative and engaging experience for store partners to learn together in a way that is right for the values and scale of the company. From the design of the curriculum, to new technology being deployed to stores, the company is investing in each store so that the experience for all partners is meaningful and significant on May 29 and beyond.

 Each store will receive a tool kit which will allow for partners to learn together in small self-guided groups. This first training will focus on understanding racial bias and the history of public accommodations in the United States, with future training addressing all aspects of bias and experiences.

Starbucks will share training content and curriculum with other companies, organizations and individuals interested in training their audiences. The company will also share a new original film by filmmaker Stanley Nelson, who has more than 20 years' experience as a producer, director, and writer of documentary films and videos examining African American history and experiences.

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 Pic Courtesy- Starbucks