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Black Men Arrested At Starbucks Settle With Philly for A Symbolic $1 Each And A 200K Youth Fund

Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson will also have their education paid for by Starbucks.

The two Black men who were arrested for sitting in a Philadelphia Starbucks have reached a settlement with the city and the coffee chain on Wednesday.

Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson, both 23, reached a deal with the city officials for a symbolic $1 settlement along with a pledge that the city will start a $200,000 program for young entrepreneurs, reported Associated Press.

Additionally, Robinson and Nelson will receive an undisclosed amount of money from Starbucks. The international coffee company will also give the men an opportunity to complete their bachelor’s degrees with a fully funded scholarship through a Starbucks partnership with Arizona State University.

For both of the men, they hope these settlements will ensure something positive comes from the humiliating and outrageous racial profiling incident which occurred on April 12.

“We thought long and hard about it, and we feel like this is the best way to see that change that we want to see,” Robinson told AP. “It’s not a right-now thing that’s good for right now, but I feel like we will see the true change over time.”

Both men will also get the chance to discuss their experience with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who worked with the Obama administration.

After video of Robinson and Nelson’s arrest went viral, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson apologized to the men and announced over 8,000 Starbucks stores in the U.S. would close on May 29 in order for 175,000 employees to receive training in unconscious bias.

Under the deal with the city, the men’s arrest records will be expunged, and an entrepreneur program will be created to offer mentorship to aspiring entrepreneurs from Philadelphia high schools.

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