starbucks
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I Don’t Trust White People in ‘Black’ Spaces. I Don’t Call the Cops on Them, but Perhaps I Should
Back when I was a high school English teacher, I had a white female colleague (“Katie”) who not only dated black men but was also one of those white women who exclusively date black men and let everyone know that they only date black men whatever chance they get. Example: “Hey, were you able to download…
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Starbucks to Close All Stores Across the US for ‘Racial-Bias Education’ Training Following the Arrest of 2 Black Men
Starbucks is upping the ante (and perhaps trying to salvage whatever is left of its reputation) by closing more than 8,000 stores across the U.S. for an afternoon to train employees in racial bias. The decision comes after two black men were arrested inside a Philadelphia Starbucks, seemingly just for being black. According to the…
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Oh, Nooow Y’all Want to Boycott Starbucks? I Been Trying to Get Y’all to Do That for 15 Years!
Have you ever been right for the wrong reason? I’m sure you have. We all have. Well, when it comes to Starbucks, I’ve been right for both the right and wrong reasons. Starbucks has always represented gentrification to me (yep) and has been representative of the Man stepping on the necks of black folks near…
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Dear White People: Please Stop Doing Silly Racist Shit. Discovering New Things to Boycott Is Exhausting
As is the case with many people who work remotely, I spend a considerable amount of time in coffee shops and cafés. I am in one now, actually, and I am currently eating Brussels spouts because they’re healthy and tasty and because the managers at said shop are so impressed with my luscious beard that…
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Watch: Starbucks Involved in Another Racist Incident
Warning: The video contained in this post is another example of the criminalization of black skin. I warn that the video may be disturbing to viewers who don’t believe that this type of injustice happens on a regular basis. Sadly, if you are black, then you already know that this type of shit happens every…
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From Starbucks to Hashtags: We Need to Talk About Why White Americans Call the Police on Black People
“Don’t you fucking walk away! Don’t fucking walk away from me!” the 20-something-year-old woman screamed as she followed after the 20-something-year-old guy who just got out of her car. It was 2 a.m.; only the streetlights were on, but the guy was clearly done with his girlfriend (probably ex-girlfriend at this point) and was just…
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Philadelphia Starbucks Manager Who Called Police on 2 Black Men Decides to Leave Company in ‘Mutual’ Decision: Report
Updated Monday, April 16, 2018, 12:41 p.m. EDT: Well, well, well. Despite calls for the Starbucks manager to be fired after calling the police on two black men simply for standing there, it looks as if the still-unidentified employee will be able to part ways with the company in what a Starbucks spokesperson referred to…
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Starbucks Witness: Implicit Bias Exists and White People Need to Speak Up When They See It
When two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks on Thursday for simply sitting there, being black and minding their business, people in the store who witnessed it were outraged, including Melissa DePino—whose video recording of the arrest went viral on social media. DePino, a 50-year-old writer who says she visits that same Starbucks…
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Starbucks CEO Apologizes, Says He Wants to Meet With the Black Men Arrested in Philly
Remember Starbucks’ “Race Together” idea a few years back? The since-destroyed concept was that baristas at the high-priced coffee chain were to openly engage customers on race relations in the United States. Ironic, then, that the company is once again feeling the social media flames and calls for a boycott over an incident at a…
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Philly Police Chief Cop-splains Why 2 Black Men Were Cuffed in Starbucks Viral Video Incident
Police across the country just can’t seem to break out of their M.O. of enforcing and reinforcing this country’s long-standing, irrational fear of black bodies. As noted in a recent VSB column, black people are pretty much criminalized for breathing in the United States (that, and standing, sitting, sleeping, walking and 45 some other odd…