Starbucks

Eduardo del Buey
Foto: Reuters
La Jornada Maya

Martes 24 de abril, 2018

Most often, I write about how companies or individuals have mishandled a crisis.

Today, I am writing about a company that got it right.

On April 14, 2018, two black men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia after refusing to leave once they had been told that bathroom facilities were for customers only. The police were called in by the store’s management, and the arrests were video-recorded by bystanders, after which they went viral.

Starbucks’ response was instantaneous.

Starbucks president Kevin Johnson and his leadership team immediately went to Philadelphia to take control of the company’s response. He apologized profusely for this occurrence. He called the action “reprehensible” and, with tears in his eyes, told interviewers that this egregious act should never have taken place.

Indeed, Johnson subsequently met with both men who had been arrested, told the media that the manager of the store had been let go, and announced that all U.S. based stores would be closed on May 29th so that staff could be given racial sensitivity training. On that day, all 8000 U.S. stores will be closed, and all 175,000 employees will undergo the training.

“We will learn from our mistakes and reaffirm our commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment for every customer,” Starbucks’ founder and Chair Howard Schultz told ABC News in a statement.

ABC News went on to report that former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, and Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) League Defense and Education Fund, are among a group of leaders providing guidance to Starbucks in developing its curriculum for the training.

Starbucks’ response was and continues to be textbook perfect.

The company’s president immediately took full responsibility for the situation and took proper disciplinary steps. He empathized completely with the victims and met with them to apologize personally on behalf of the company.

He announced immediate steps to ensure that this situation is never repeated by undertaking to train all of his employees.

What else can the company do?

There have been reports that African American clients in other stores have been treated differently than white clients. To remedy this, company policy should be posted in all stores to ensure that all clients are treated equally and know what company policy is.

This unfortunate situation underscores the extent to which racism still exists in the U.S. Racism against Blacks, Indigenous Peoples, Orientals, Sikhs, Muslims, and Jews also continues apace in many countries of the world, and discriminatory practices affect these and other groups on a daily basis.

The situation is not helped by the emergence of ultra-nationalist leaders and movements around the world who espouse the politics of hatred and discrimination. Many observers have noted that the many current U.S. leaders have legitimized the politics of hatred and empowered people to act on their racial or religious prejudices.

While we know that racism has been present in the U.S. since the first white colonists arrived, when a present-day American president says that racial bigots include “some good people” (Trump’s response to the Charlottesville riots last year), many can incorrectly conclude that racism is indeed legitimate and that all are empowered to act out their own racist impulses.

As stated above, Starbucks did the right thing at the right time and for the right reasons.

It is perhaps time for government and society to follow the company’s lead and provide enhanced education to sensitize all citizens on the need for respect for those who are different and for the rights of all. Indeed, a number of police forces across the United States – known for their propensity to shoot and kill unarmed black men – could benefit from similar training.

But are leaders around the world prepared to end their enabling of racism and undertake their responsibilities to lead and govern morally?

We should all follow Starbucks president Kevin Johnson’s example to ensure that this type of behavior ends.

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