Did I have my last cup of Starbucks today?

Last week, Starbucks hosted a “Weekly Workplace Live Event” where they entertained questions from store managers about whether partners (employees) could wear Black Lives Matter paraphernalia. Apparently, Starbucks told the managers they would get back to them. That, they did in a weekly update reminding their employees of company dress code policy. In the policy, they write:

As a reminder, the dress code policy we have carefully considered and defined over the past few years states: “Partners May only wear buttons or puns issued to the partners by Starbucks for special recognition or for advertising a Starbucks sponsored event or promotion…

Here’s the full statement:

Note the letter above, starting that the Diversity Officer “explains there are agitators who misconstrue the fundamental purposes of the Black Lives Movement – and in certain circumstances, intentionally re-purpose them to amplify divisiveness.”

Who is Nzingha Shaw? She’s the Spellman grad who leads Starbucks Diversity division and the one who made the decision. READ THE ARTICLE ABOUT HER BEING HIRED TO LEARN MORE.

So… here what a I want to see happen. I want a dialogue between Zing and the movement. I want to know if this is how she really feels. I want to know that they know this was poorly timed and a bad decision all-around.

Click here to listen to my podcast episode about this situation!

UPDATE: Starbucks Releases a T-Shirt Design!