After the arrest of two black men at a Starbucks location in Philadelphia, woke coffee drinkers were faced with a dilemma: should they join the boycott of the chain, find an even more progressive coffee chain to patronize, or just brew coffee at home?
We’ll admit it’s not a question that’s kept any of us up at night, but The Seattle Times wonders just how woke your morning cup of coffee really is.
The Starbucks controversy kicked off some discussion at an industry symposium in Seattle, and it turns out coffee’s problems with diversity and inclusion reportedly run all the way up the supply chain. It’s not just a Starbucks problem; it’s a coffee problem.
Benjamin Romano reports:
But speakers at the coffee industry gathering said Wednesday this is by no means a problem limited to Starbucks.
“In the time of Black Lives Matter, when we see over and over again how coffee spaces, cafes, and the coffee industry exclude people of color — and I’m not just talking about the events that happened in Philadelphia … this is a coffee problem, it’s not one single business’ problem,” said Colleen Anunu, director of coffee supply chain at Fair Trade USA, introducing a session on building diverse and inclusive coffee communities. “Coffee, cafes are seen generally as the first wave of gentrification into black or people-of-color communities.”
A session on “building diverse and inclusive coffee communities”? Between this symposium and Starbucks’ mandated afternoon shut-down for racial-bias training, we expect big things.
So, where does your morning cup stand in terms of diversity and inclusion?
I don't know. My coffee and I usually talk about movies and baseball. https://t.co/Ib90SxBpxO
— neontaster (@neontaster) April 21, 2018
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It diverts me from sleepy me to awake me and includes me in the productive world. https://t.co/LCWHZhigjs
— New Year Same Drunk Uncle (@UncleMarky1) April 21, 2018
My last cup was pretty racist tbh https://t.co/iCiAfYnOfy
— Cap’n Send (@ChiowaFin23) April 21, 2018
— Mary #FlyTheW (@mchastain81) April 21, 2018
It's… it's just coffee, ffs https://t.co/yr37HeEqzj
— hey baby it’s woke outside (@MatlockFletcher) April 21, 2018
Look out @TheOnion. You have competition. https://t.co/dVX05xtSqr
— Craig (@5againstOne) April 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/Cowboy__Country/status/987811184534470656
It's… Uh, it's coffee https://t.co/qO7AxBVza7
— SickeningJar (@sickeningjar) April 21, 2018
Maybe most of us just want some coffee? ?♀️ https://t.co/3f0qsfz3AY
— ??⭐️smirking fed up californian?♀️?? ?? (@UpInTheHills) April 21, 2018
Dark roast- Roast of color
Light roast- Privileged roast https://t.co/TaUeSwN2ax— Ben McDonald (@Bmac0507) April 21, 2018
Not much diversity since I like a really dark blend but I think I'm good on inclusion. There's always a pot available in the morning for anyone that shows ? https://t.co/4AYAJVli1h
— Persnickety (@Dawnsfire) April 21, 2018
My coffee's so black, it got arrested at Starbucks for not buying anything. https://t.co/N3c1p2dzgo
— Jiren (@JirenHiiro) April 21, 2018
? This is a joke right? Please tell me we are all being punk'd. https://t.co/4EWgyKrOPp
— MarkH (@Dac45) April 19, 2018
Hahahaha, I can't believe this is actually a thing https://t.co/cXg4ERKCDJ
— Josh M (@JMOREY1) April 21, 2018
I don't care. It's coffee. https://t.co/8uCJM6nb4D
— Goo T. Gwaba (@GooGwaba) April 21, 2018
I don't drink coffee, I drink Mountain Dew Code Red every morning and now I'm starting to worry it might be insensitive to Native Americans to be doing so https://t.co/fMJHQBHnrI
— Brian Grayson (@djslybri) April 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/DWest_5/status/987820026756386816
https://twitter.com/sean_lalor/status/987817433976180736
Is there anything left that the SJWs haven’t ruined with politicization yet. This kind of crap is so ridiculous. It’s freakin coffee. https://t.co/Lh9lXn6xIL
— Troy Franco (@tfranco817) April 21, 2018
Yet more people who live in terror that someone, somewhere, may simply be enjoying life. This totalitarian impulse to turn every action into a political statement is brutally dehumanizing. https://t.co/5Ksl3Bn3bh
— alexandriabrown (@alexthechick) April 21, 2018
Where does your morning cup stand in terms of diversity and inclusion? ☕️ https://t.co/ShMHNO9uwr
— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) April 19, 2018
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