Starbucks Reverses Black Lives Matter Stance, Reveals New ‘BLM' Shirts
[UPDATE] Friday June 12, 11:22 AM:
Following the wide-spread backlash after their leaked memo on prohibiting Black Lives Matter apparel worn by its employees, Starbucks has now revealed a new co-designed BLM t-shirt.
They unveiled the new design on their Twitter, less than 24 hours after they initially informed their baristas that wearing Black Lives Matter clothing could incite violence.
“Black Lives Matter. We continue to listen to our partners and communities and their desire to stand for justice together. The Starbucks Black Partner Network co-designed t-shirts with this graphic that will soon be sent to 250,000+ store partners,” the tweet read.
See below:
“We see you. We hear you. Black Lives Matter. That is a fact and will never change.
This movement is a catalyst for change, and right now, it’s telling us a lot of things need to be addressed so we can make space to heal,” a new official statement posted on the Starbucks website states.
[PREVIOUS]:
It is time to take your Pumpkin Spice Latte and White Chocolate Mocha’s somewhere else.
Starbucks officially informed its employees in a memo last week that they would be prohibited from wearing any clothing or accessories that show that they are in support of the transformative Black Lives Matter movement.
The memo obtained by BuzzFeed News shows the dress code policy argues that staff wearing attire that highlights Black Lives Matter could be interpreted incorrectly and possibly incite violence.
“Partners are not permitted to wear buttons or pins that advocate a political, religious or personal issue,” the memo states before later continuing. “[VP of Inclusion and Diversity, Zing Shaw] explains there are agitators who misconstrue the fundamental principles of the Black Lives Matter movement - and in certain circumstances, intentionally re-purpose them to amplify divisiveness.”
On June 1, the official Starbucks Instagram and Twitter account posted statements in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
"We will confront racism to create a more inclusive and just world. We stand in solidarity with our Black partners, customers and communities. We will not be bystanders,” they captioned on Instagram.
Starbucks also tweeted out a letter from Starbucks CEO responding to the senseless killing of George Floyd.
“The path forward requires open and honest conversations about racial injustices. On Saturday, Starbucks partners came together in an open forum to listen and support one another. It’s going to take each of us to drive necessary change,” it reads.
It seems as though the popular Seattle-born coffee brand supports the Black Lives Matter movement but with an asterisk mark, *when it’s not too controversial for them.
Following their contentious statement, comedian W. Kamau Bell also pointed out another incident where Starbucks put on their “Support Black Lives” cape.
“Remember when they wrote “Let’s talk about racism!” on the cups? Remember when they closed for half a day because 2 Black men were arrested for being Black at [Starbucks]? As we always thought, they are only about #BlackLivesMatter when it’s convenient,” he tweeted.
As the backlash enters the now ever-so trending “cancel culture” it looks like Starbucks has been officially added to that list.
If a hot cup of joe is still a part of your daily routine or you want to put your -bucks bills somewhere else, check out a list of Black-owned coffee shops, here.
