Racial Bias in my Coffee?

We all love popular sugar, caffeine, unicorn, nitrogen, and vegan Instagram trends that will give us that glow from within. Where can all of these things meet up? Starbucks, of course! The beloved coffee shop has been around for almost 50 years (the original store is in Seattle). It’s been hailed as a gourmet cafe, the inventor of the frappuccino, and the only fast food place to mess up the name Bianca, Mark, Judy, Emma, and Will with a sharpie. But that all just serves to make it ever more endearing!

But recently, we discovered that our beloved coffee fix is closing eight thousand stores. Oh no. Not Starbucks!”
(Dramatic music)
Yes. Starbucks.
But the reason will make you understand: racism.

Two African-American men were arrested in a Starbucks in Philadelphia on April 12. Rashon Nelson and Dante Robinson had arrived early for a meeting at Starbucks. Nelson asked to use the bathroom, but was told that the facilities were available to paying customers only, and the men hadn’t bought anything. He went back to his seat and waited with Dante for their coworker.

Two minutes later, the police walked in and handcuffed them. Nelson said, ”As soon as they approached us, they just said we had to leave. There was no question of, you know, ‘Was there a problem between you and the manager?’”

They were loaded, handcuffed, into a police car and were kept in jail until after midnight.

This is called ‘unconscious racial bias,’ and Kevin Johnson, which the CEO of Starbucks, is determined to change it. Starbucks is shutting down eight thousand stores on May 29 to send their employees to racial bias sensitivity training. Nelson wants people to “take this opportunity as a stepping stone to really stand up and show your greatness and that you are not judged by the color of your skin as our ancestors were or anyone else.”

Johnson has hope for this program. “[It’s] designed to address implicit bias, promote conscious inclusion, prevent discrimination and ensure everyone inside a Starbucks store feels safe and welcome,” he said. The company has gotten the help of many activists, like Eric Holder, Jonathan Greenblatt, and Sherrilyn Ifill to develop the program.

Still, we don’t  know if results are guaranteed. Racism and racial bias are deeply ingrained into media and culture, so deeply that unconscious bias is the norm. Anti-bias training has been shown to help employees think about how stereotypes are affecting their decisions, but it might not keep them from looking at the world with a racial filter.

The best we can hope for now is that Starbucks will return to its former glory, and that we can look forward to a future without racism, unintentional or otherwise.

By: Nusia Schoenholz, 2024 – Political Writer

Photo credit: Art Net