Arrests at a Starbucks

 

Last week, two men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks, leading to nationwide outrage and continued conversations about being a black person in America. 

Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.

Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for Arrests at a Starbucks

Links

“Black men arrested at Philadelphia Starbucks say they feared for their lives”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/black-men-arrested-philadelphia-starbucks-say-they-feared-their-lives-n867396

“Men Arrested At Philadelphia Starbucks Speak Out; Police Commissioner Apologizes”
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/19/603917872/they-can-t-be-here-for-us-men-arrested-at-philadelphia-starbucks-speak-out

“The Starbucks racism video is remarkable for just how unremarkable it is to black Americans”
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/starbucks-racism-video-remarkable-just-how-unremarkable-it-black-americans-ncna867461

“Black men arrested at Philadelphia Starbucks agree to meet with CEO”
http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/16/news/companies/starbucks-ceo-apology/index.html

“A look at claims of racial bias in US restaurants”
http://www.omaha.com/money/consumer/a-look-at-claims-of-racial-bias-in-us-restaurants/article_7c35e3b3-a284-5276-916a-94f28591f406.html

 

Assessment

• Writing: Why did the arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia Starbucks receive nationwide attention?
• Debate: More institutions should adopt racial bias training.
• Poll: How many of you have been in a coffee shop without ordering for more than a few minutes while waiting for friends, family, or colleagues?
• Short Answer: How did the CEO of Starbucks respond to the arrest of Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson?

Current events quiz:

1) The Police Commissioner of Philadelphia first defended his officers then offered a public apology. (T/F)

2) Starbucks has an explicit store policy prohibiting people from sitting in its stores without ordering. (T/F)

3) The two men arrested in the Philadelphia Starbucks were only in the store for a few minutes before a manager called police. (T/F)

4) The CEO of Starbucks responded to the arrests last week by ______.

1. defending the police officers
2. denying Starbucks has a problem with racial bias
3. announcing the closure of all stores in May for bias training
4. none of the above

5) In his follow-up public appearance, the Police Commissioner of Philadelphia said he ______.

1. “had nothing to apologize for”
2. “failed miserably”
3. “should have more forcefully backed his officers”
4. none of the above

Answers:

1) True

2) False

3) True

4) C

5) D

 

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