In April, Starbucks found themselves caught in a public scandal when two black men in Philadelphia were escorted out of the store by police after employees reported them for loitering. Multiple white customers pointed out immediately that they had spent time at the store without purchasing something and did not prompt police responses.
Starbucks moved quickly to respond, issuing a statement announcing that it would close all of its locations May 29 in order to give its employees implicit bias training. For many Americans watching the story unfold, it was the first time they saw a conversation about implicit bias hit the spotlight.
Implicit biases are attitudes, thoughts and opinions that may be subconsciously imprinted in our brains. They’re not necessarily beliefs we agree with, but they’re beliefs we’ve been exposed to repeatedly, such that we have internalized them and consider them subconsciously.
When the Starbucks employees called the police on two black men who were sitting in the shop, while ignoring white customers around them, they allowed their implicit bias to subtly suggest to them that black men hanging around are automatically dangerous and predatory, rather than merely regular people using Starbucks as a meeting space, as it’s advertised.
The whole debacle revealed some important characteristics of implicit bias in America.
1. Even Progressives Carry Implicit Bias
Starbucks has long positioned itself as a progressive, diverse organization that advocates for equality and acceptance. It’s the company that once tried to “promote conversations about race” by suggesting that customers should ask baristas pressing or difficult questions about racial tensions while ordering a latte. It was a half-hearted attempt at best, but it certainly reflected the values of the company.
So what does it mean that something like this could have happened in an organization lauded for progressive politics? Well, it means that absolutely no one is immune from displaying implicit biases. They’re embedded in society and everyone is exposed to them — even people who are opposed to them or raised knowing that it’s hurtful to believe them.
For black Americans, escaping the consequences of implicit bias feels virtually impossible. Even in leftist or progressive spaces that advocate for anti-racist ideology, black people often find themselves treated just a bit differently, like slightly suspicious outsiders rather than fully integrated members of the group. Being liberal is no panacea for subtle racism.
2. It Doesn’t End with Implicit Bias Training
Announcing plans to put everyone through implicit bias training is a bold step on Starbucks’ part. It indicates a total dedication to addressing the matter via rigorous training. They’re bringing in a number of organizations to help lead their training, including DJs with turntables, and even responding to public criticism to some of their decisions and changing up the roster.
But the implicit bias training simply won’t be enough to completely re-haul racial dynamics in the United States, which means this incident in April will not be the final incident in which black people are made to feel like suspicious unwelcome strangers in a Starbucks. That’s because studies indicate that mandatory implicit bias training isn’t as hopeful as we hope it would be in actually reducing discrimination and biased behavior.
In order to institute long-term change, Starbucks has to develop a long-term plan that includes reinforcing lessons with regular conversation, and rewarding concrete efforts to improve diversity and inclusivity.
3. White Allies Have to Doubt Themselves
When it comes to addressing unconscious biases, people have to come to terms with seeing their own faults. White allies in particular have to come to terms with the idea that perhaps their feelings, thoughts and concerns may be misplaced or coming from a place of implicit bias.
Although we can put a lot of blame on Starbucks and make them the public whipping boy for the matter, the truth is the same thing could have happened in any other store because racism in embedded in American culture. Which means while companies should be proactive about addressing racism and implicit bias, it’s important to remember that it’s up to individuals to address and correct their own behavior. Addressing implicit bias requires a desire to be less racist and a willingness to acknowledge your own flaws.
Kudos to Starbucks for setting a day aside for training, but this cannot be the end of the conversation. This has to be the beginning.
