Hold on to your lattes: Starbucks is going to close some 8,000 stores across the United States on May 29 in order to "conduct racial-bias education geared toward preventing discrimination in our stores," the company announced Tuesday. Approximately 175,000 Starbucks employees will receive the training, and it will be incorporated into the training for new hires as well.
The decision follows a Philadelphia store manager calling the police on two black men last week for "trespassing" while they were waiting in the Starbucks for a business meeting. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson told Good Morning America on Monday that the company would be "look[ing] more broadly at the circumstances that set that up just to ensure that never happens again." Executive chairman Howard Schultz said in Tuesday's statement: "The company's founding values are based on humanity and inclusion. We will learn from our mistakes and reaffirm our commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment for every customer."
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