NEW YORK, April 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- 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; and Heather McGhee,
president of Demos released a statement today regarding their
participation on the Starbucks Advisory Committee, which is
addressing the company's efforts to prevent discrimination in its
stores.
On April 12, two black men,
Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, were arrested by police at a
Starbucks location while merely waiting to meet with a business
associate. A Starbucks manager had called the police because
she said the men – who had only been in the store for a brief
period – had yet to make a purchase.
The racial justice leaders issued the following statement:
"The arrest of the two young men in Starbucks is a stark example
of the ongoing struggle of African Americans for full citizenship
and dignity in American life. Since last week, a number of other
high-profile incidents involving discrimination against African
Americans demonstrates the breadth and shameful persistence of this
problem.
"We were encouraged by the clear and unequivocal statements by
Starbucks' leadership, expressing their desire and intention to
deal directly with the issue of racism. This is a rare phenomenon
in corporate America. We have pushed and will continue to work to
ensure that this highly visible moment – for Starbucks' 175,000
employees, the other major corporations who watch Starbucks, and
the country – is done right. We have been clear from the
start that the company must build a framework for anti-bias
training that extends beyond the planned May
29th training and that becomes part of the
company culture. In addition to the need for an anti-discrimination
curriculum – which will consist of an ongoing education for all
employees, with real measures for evaluation and monitoring – we
made clear that a thorough review of the company policies, as well
as consultation with local, not just national leaders, is
necessary as they move forward.
"Even with these caveats and concerns – and, we imagine, there
will be more as this process unfolds – we realize the extraordinary
step that Starbucks is taking to do better on an issue that affects
every workplace. Starbucks exists in 8,000 communities in our
country. We see this effort as an opportunity for Starbucks to
demonstrate leadership in advancing a commitment to equal treatment
and opportunity in true partnership with the communities they
serve. We expect to issue a report to Starbucks, with
recommendations about the company's policies, a multi-phase
training framework, and the ongoing work they will need to
undertake in order to really move the ball.
"We know that the problem of anti-Black bias and other forms of
discrimination is not Starbucks' problem alone; it's a deeply
American problem, made consequential and often lethal by the
compounding force of unaccountable, discriminatory policing. A
larger issue here is the mass criminalization of our people, and we
each made it clear to Starbucks that they have the privilege and
responsibility to influence not just employee practices, but police
practices in Philadelphia and
across the country. We will continue to advocate on that front,
both with Starbucks and with the police, and welcome your thoughts
about how we can make the greatest impact."
For additional media inquiries, please contact Michael K. Frisby 202-625-4382/
mike@frisbyassociates.com
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SOURCE DEMOS; NAACP LDF