Starbucks Responds To BLM Critics As Call For Boycott Intensifies

Starbucks has stated that they support BLM, but an employee shared today (June 11) that workers aren't allowed to wear anything that displays their personal support of the movement.

BYErika Marie
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Christopher Furlong / Staff / Getty Images

Another day, another call for a company boycott. Businesses are finding themselves in peculiar places these days as their company policies, diversity in employment, support of the Black Lives Matter movement and many other concerns that the public has are brought to light. On Thursday (June 11), a woman who claimed to be an employee of Starbucks tweeted that the company prohibited any visible support of BLM. Employees were forbidden from wearing pins, labels, or clothing that showed they were supporters of the movement.

Scott Olson / Staff / Getty Images

A spokesperson for Starbucks reportedly doubled down on their stance, but the official Starbucks Twitter account offered a reply to the employee's original message. According to the Starbucks account, the company is now implementing new strategies to show that they do support Black Lives Matter and will have designs specifically created for its workers "in support of our Black partners."

"Hello. All U.S. CO partners will be sent a Starbucks partner shirt to lend our collective voice in support of our Black partners, customers and communities. The design will come from the Black Partner Network emphasizing our role and responsibility to not be bystanders," Starbucks tweeted. However, people still didn't know exactly what that meant, so the call to boycott the coffee company intensified as their controversial history found itself in the limelight once again. Check out a few responses below.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1271162630934126592
https://twitter.com/_/status/1271214529968562177
https://twitter.com/_/status/1271205099625484289
https://twitter.com/_/status/1271204055990382593
https://twitter.com/_/status/1271208408977375233
https://twitter.com/_/status/1271216058657988608
https://twitter.com/_/status/1271197565841784834
https://twitter.com/_/status/1271227002926792709
https://twitter.com/_/status/1271222932350668804


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About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.