Oh, please! Eric Holder tapped to help Starbucks train employees for ‘racial bias’
by Frieda PowersStarbucks is lining up their idea of experts who will be crafting a “racial-bias education program” for employees planned for next month.
The giant coffee house chain announced it will close all of its 8,000 stores on May 29 to “address implicit bias, promote inclusion and help prevent discrimination,” CNBC reported.
The decision follows after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks when an employee called police because they refused to leave the store, The men said they were waiting for a friend to have a meeting and were told they could not use the restroom because they had not bought anything. But because of the men’s skin color, the issue quickly became labeled as a racial discrimination, sparking protests and backlash.
In response, the company announced the upcoming training program and tapped far left groups such as the Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP as well as former Attorney General Eric Holder to help create the program, according to CNBC.
“I’ve spent the last few days in Philadelphia with my leadership team listening to the community, learning what we did wrong and the steps we need to take to fix it,” Starbucks CEO, Kevin Johnson, said in a statement Tuesday. “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.”
According to the Chicago Tribune:
Nearly 175,000 current employees and all new hires will receive the training, developed with national and local experts from groups including the Equal Justice Initiative, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Anti-Defamation League and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Those experts will also be involved in reviewing the program’s effectiveness, Starbucks said.
“We will learn from our mistakes and reaffirm our commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment for every customer,” executive chairman Howard Schultz said in a statement. Schultz also last year blamed riots in Charlottesville on white people, declaring that the “bigotry, hatred, and senseless violence against people who are not white cannot stand.”
And the company’s plan to combat the racial bias they claim was involved in the Philadelphia incident is to bring on liberal and far-left groups, as well as, to help address the issue.
Working with Starbucks to create the program, along with former President Obama’s “Fast and Furious” Attorney General Holder, will be Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative; Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund; Heather McGhee, president of Demos; and Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, according to CNBC.
Chicago nonprofit, The Black Star Project, is planning protests Wednesday at some of the chain’s Chicago locations and is still calling for boycotts, the Chicago Tribune reported. Phillip Jackson, the group’s chairman and founder, said the Starbucks training is “too little, too late.”
Original article: BizPac Review
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