‘The Story of Access’ explores the history of people of color in public places

Stanley Nelson’s short film, ‘The Story of Access,” was seen by 175,000 Starbucks partners last spring when the company closed its U.S. stores May 29 for anti-bias training. Now, we invite you to watch as well.

He stares into the camera, his voice flat, as he recounts his daily reality.

“I feel like I’m disturbing people by just being there. Like, people feel uncomfortable when I walk in.”

The young black man shared his experience last year as part of the short film “The Story of Access,” which was seen by more than 175,000 Starbucks partners across the United States on May 29 during the company’s anti-bias training. Starbucks asked renowned filmmaker Stanley Nelson to create the film after the arrest of two young African-American entrepreneurs, Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson, who had been waiting at a Philadelphia Starbucks for a business meeting to begin.

Now, Starbucks would like to also share this film with you.

“What kind of country do we want to live in?,” asks the film’s narrator. “Who do we want to be?”