Coffee Break

Starbucks Closes 8,000 Stores for Anti-Bias Training

Company tries to restore its tarnished image.

Starbucks will close more than 8,000 stores across the U.S. on Tuesday afternoon to carry out anti-bias training for its staff. It’s the company’s latest effort to repair the damage caused by the arrests of two black men in a Philadelphia store last month. Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were asked to leave the store after one was denied access to the bathroom, then they were arrested by police minutes after they sat down to wait for a business meeting to begin. Starbucks has put together an anti-bias program for 175,000 workers, which the company described as a “collaborative and engaging experience for store partners to learn together.” According to a video previewing the training, there will also be recorded remarks from Starbucks executives and the rapper/activist Common.