Starbucks to Close all U.S. Stores on May 29

Chicaco Tribune - Starbucks has announced plans to close all U.S. stores and corporate offices on the afternoon of May 29 to train employees against racial bias after the arrest last week of two black men waiting at one of the company's Philadelphia stores.

The training, which will close the more than 8,000 company-owned stores in the U.S., is designed to address implicit bias, promote conscious inclusion and prevent discrimination, the company said.

Meanwhile, outrage over the arrest is prompting calls for protests and boycotts, including some planned Wednesday at 10 Chicago stores.

"I've spent the last few days in Philadelphia with my leadership team listening to the community, learning what we did wrong and the steps we need to take to fix it," Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said in a news release Tuesday. "While this is not limited to Starbucks, we're committed to being a part of the solution. Closing our stores for racial bias training is just one step in a journey that requires dedication from every level of our company and partnerships in our local communities."

Nearly 175,000 current employees and all new hires will receive the training, developed with national and local experts from groups including the Equal Justice Initiative, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Anti-Defamation League and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Those experts will also be involved in reviewing the program's effectiveness, Starbucks said.

Starbucks isn't the only company introducing the training in an effort to combat discrimination. American Airlines said it planned to roll out annual implicit bias training in January after the NAACP issued a travel advisory last fall that accused the airline of mistreating African-American passengers....