Nearly a year into his role, Starbucks global chief inclusion &amp; diversity officer talks about the company’s bold hiring goals, including at least 30 percent BIPOC representation at all corporate levels and 40 percent in retail by 2025, how his upbringing informed who he is today and what it takes to create a place where people truly feel welcome.

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Her name was Mrs. Judy Brockman, but everyone called her Mama Judy.

To understand the mission and passion of her son, Dennis Brockman, the global chief inclusion &amp; diversity officer at Starbucks, you have to first know about Mama Judy. You’ll find her at the center of it all.

“She taught me all the things that lead me into this space now. I saw her fighting for the rights of all. She wanted to make sure that everyone had a fair opportunity. She taught us to make sure that we treat everyone with respect and dignity, regardless of who they were,” said Brockman, a senior vice president. “I know she struggled but I didn’t feel it because of the love she showed us.”

Mama Judy raised seven children on her own after his dad left the family. Brockman, her youngest child, said he used to feel shame about not knowing his dad, but long ago his pride and admiration for his mother eclipsed that. You see, Mama Judy’s love and definition of family wasn’t bound by blood relations. She extended it to all who needed her – the children at the daycare she ran, their parents who couldn’t always afford to pay her on time, the young people who she took in who didn’t have anywhere else to go, those at the church she attended for decades. When she died at age 82 in January 2020, hundreds of people, including civic leaders, lawyers and PhDs who she’d mentored or supported when they were young, fought through a snowstorm in Kansas City, Kansas to attend her funeral.&nbsp;

Every day of her life, “I saw her demonstrate love,” Brockman said. And today, her passion for the power of mentorship, encouragement and accountability flows through him, fueling the work he does.

This March will mark a year since Brockman took the helm of leading inclusion &amp; diversity at Starbucks as a senior vice president. His role is a huge one, even without the political and social chasms that have formed in America, dividing people on topics like vaccines and masks. Even without civil unrest and the spike in hate crimes against people of color. Even without an ongoing pandemic that, so far, has killed more than 5 million around the world and disproportionally affects people of color.

In the midst of all of that, Brockman paused recently for a series of interviews from his Seattle home, where he and his wife moved from Chicago in July, to share his thoughts on where the company has been, where it is now and where it still needs to go. In the end, he chooses to focus, like Mama Judy always did, on what’s possible.

“There’s a quote about life being 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it,” he said. “I choose optimism and hope.”

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More than 400,000 green apron partners are employed at Starbucks locations around the globe. I&amp;D work applies to all of them. &nbsp;

It could be tempting, or maybe simpler, to focus on the diversity numbers or the hiring metrics at a company of Starbucks scale. But Brockman wants to reach far beyond representation to something deeper – he wants all partners, everywhere, to feel like they belong.

“Diversity is about who or what is represented. Inclusion is an environment where people feel valued for all they bring – and that leads to belonging,” he said.

Starbucks does track numbers and statistics, of course, and releases them every year.

The U.S. partner base at Starbucks is currently 47 percent Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). But, as with many companies, the higher the job title, the more the BIPOC representation thins. <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/workforce-diversity-at-starbucks/">According to an analysis</a> published in October of 2020, 18.5 percent of all corporate senior vice presidents and above at Starbucks were BIPOC. Brockman and Kevin Johnson, president and chief executive officer of Starbucks, want those numbers to be higher.

Last year, Starbucks made a commitment to have BIPOC representation comprise at least 30 percent at all corporate levels and at least 40 percent of all retail and manufacturing roles by 2025.

“We need to have representation at every level,” Brockman said.

While progress in some areas has been modest, 50 percent of the Starbucks senior vice presidents hired in the last year are BIPOC, he noted. And it’s not just about hiring more BIPOC partners, but also about retention and lifting them up and developing them in their careers.

Brockman and his team have championed a number of programs designed to do that – in short to help them see through actions, not just words, that they truly belong. &nbsp;

In a recent letter to Starbucks partners, Brockman shared some of the new programs and 2022 commitments to partners and the communities the company serves, including:

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There’s a lot to be done, and I&amp;D work can be heavy and exhausting. It often means staring down racism and discrimination every day. The average tenure of chief D&amp;I officers in 2021 was 1.8 years, down from 3.1 years in 2018, <a href="https://www.russellreynolds.com/en/insights/articles/positioning-chief-diversity-officer-top-performance" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to research by Russell Reynolds Associates</a>.

Brockman meets regularly meets with chief D&amp;I officers at other companies who help support each other in this work – and he knows that not all corporations are actually open to real change.

The desire and commitment to I&amp;D has to be real, he said. What sets Starbucks apart is the work not only has support from the top – Johnson and the Starbucks Board of Directors – but Brockman has also been given the resources needed, he said. The team has tripled in size to nearly 30 partners during the time Brockman has been at the helm.

“It’s setting up the organization to really ensure that we have the knowledge, the ability, the skill set to scale this work,” he said.

Whether companies want to or not, they have to evolve, he said, adding that not only is it the right thing to do, but investors are requiring it and partners and customers are saying it’s one of the things driving their choices of where to spend their dollars.

“If companies are not doing the work today, in this space, I truly believe that those companies will not be in existence 20 years from now because they will not have the talent,” he said. “When my kids, my grandkids and the people I’m mentoring are asking me for advice on where they should go to work, I’m going to say, don’t take your talent to a company who wants it because they need (I&amp;D numbers). I want you to reward your talent to the companies who are really doing this work.”

There’s a YouTube video of Brockman speaking to a group of young people at The Chicago Urban League a few years ago. He’s quoting from memory “Be the Best of Whatever You Are,” a poem by Douglas Malloch that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. included in one of his speeches.

“… &nbsp;If you can’t be a highway, then just be a trail. If you can’t be the sun, be a star; It isn’t by size that you win or fail – Be the best of whatever you are,” Brockman encouraged the group.

No matter how busy he is, Brockman has always made time to mentor others. His pastor used to tell him, “I’d rather see a sermon any day than hear one.” Those are words he lives by.

He speaks often to young people and those early in their careers, sharing the principles his mom instilled in him from a very young age. He recalls how when he was 15, she made him wear a tie to his interview for a job at a fast-food restaurant, and “taught me the principles of working my butt off. When you go to work, you go to work. You don’t go to play.”

One reason Brockman is so passionate about mentoring and lifting people up is because of the impact on his own life. While he grew up without a father in a neighborhood with high crime rates, he said he always could rely on the adults around him. “The core of who I am is because of those individuals – my mother, my grandparents, my pastor, my community, my church and my school,” he said. “My mom always told me, you never know what people might be capable of if they are given a chance.”

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The mentorship he received extended to his professional life – and its lessons are things that help inform the Starbucks mentorship program, which launched last year, pairing nearly 40 partners at the director level with senior leaders for regular meetings both one-on-one and in group settings.

While many companies may have professional mentorship program, the Starbucks one is designed to be unique. Senior leaders are not only expected to participate, but their pay is tied to it. At the conclusion, their mentee fills out a survey and the mentor has to be given a rating of at least three out of five to be considered to have successfully completed it. “We’ve never had that kind of accountability before,” Brockman said.

The first year of the Starbucks mentorship program helped prove that it can get to the deeper level Brockman is reaching for – making people feel like they belong. No mentors canceled even one session, he said, because they found it so valuable. At the start of the program, 92 percent of the mentees said they felt a sense of belonging at Starbucks, but by the end that number had risen to 100 percent, he said. The goal is that the program will not only help mentees be ready for the next steps in their careers, but that they will chose to stay at Starbucks and the company will retain their talent. &nbsp;

The Starbucks mentorship program is a two-way opportunity for learning, he said. Mentors are given a view into the lived experiences of the BIPOC person they are paired with.

“It was kind of reverse mentoring for both,” he said. “One of the senior leaders (who was a mentor) told me, I didn’t realize how much I didn’t understand the experience of a BIPOC partner here at Starbucks. It opened up conversations.”&nbsp;

Corporations like to talk about hiring people who are “culture fits.” But that also is a place where microaggressions and bias can manifest, Brockman says, whether it’s implying that someone needs to change their hairstyle or their personality to conform and be successful.

“There shouldn’t have to be any code switching. When I bring my full self to work, you get the best of me. I don’t want a culture fit. I want people to be a culture add.”

Owning mistakes and growing

Many of Starbucks I&amp;D commitments and programs today have their roots in what was one of Starbucks most agonizing days. It also would go on to be a catalyst for change in the company and how it would move forward.

On April 12, 2018, two Black entrepreneurs were sitting in a Philadelphia Starbucks waiting for a business meeting to begin when they were arrested after the store manager called the police on them for being in the store and not ordering anything.

Brockman, a 14-year partner who was a regional vice president for the Midwest region of Starbucks at the time, heard about it when a video of the incident went viral. “I thought, ‘How could that happen in a Starbucks store?’ I really did. And I questioned the company.”

In the days after, Johnson, Starbucks ceo, publicly apologized, calling the incident “reprehensible” and vowed to work for change in the company. It was one store – but it was also reflective of the bias – conscious or unconscious – that impacts people of color all across the country.

“We owned it,” Brockman said. “And, importantly, we said that we’re going to do everything we can to ensure this never happens in a Starbucks store again.”

Philadelphia led to some deep soul searching. A month later, the company <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/beyond-may-29-lessons-from-starbucks-anti-bias-training-and-whats-next/">closed all company-owned stores in the United States</a> for an afternoon of anti-bias training. Starbucks partnered with Arizona State University to develop <a href="https://starbucksglobalacademy.com/to-be-welcoming/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">To Be Welcoming,</a> a 15-course anti-bias curriculum, available for partners and customers for free. Starbucks began publishing an annual <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/civil-rights-assessments/">Civil Rights Assessment</a> of the company, done under the leadership of former United States Attorney General Eric Holder,&nbsp;and his law firm, Covington &amp; Burling LLP.

It also led, ultimately, to the creation of the chief I&amp;D role held by Brockman. Brockman reports directly to Johnson. “It shows true commitment,” Brockman said. “It’s not for show.”

Johnson said he knows that Brockman is the right person to lead the work that needs to be done.

“I wanted a leader for Inclusion &amp; Diversity who was grounded in our mission, lived our values and had the courage to challenge the status quo,” said Johnson. “Dennis embodies that kind of leader. I have known Dennis for years and he is someone I admire and trust. He is someone who will always do to the right thing.&nbsp; And he is someone who looks at the world filled with optimism and, as a result, is able to make change gracefully and help us all learn and grow. He is the right I&amp;D leader for Starbucks at this moment.”

The two men speak often and don’t shirk from difficult topics. The day that the verdict in the Ahmaud Arbery trial came down, finding all three accused men guilty of his murder, Johnson called him to check in.

“I shared my honest feelings. I said, ‘Well, this is the verdict but it’s not justice. Justice will be when an African American man could jog in any neighborhood and make it home safe,’” he said. “I’m thankful that Kevin called me and gave me the space and said, hey, how are you feeling about this?”

Starbucks regularly holds virtual “Courageous Conversations” with partners to talk about hard topics, such as the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

“We need to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” Brockman said. Part of that means acknowledging the realities BIPOC people face daily, such as having to be on guard every time they leave their homes.

It happened to him recently when he was with his 26-year-old son, D.J., at a sports event. They had tickets to a suite, but when they got on the elevator to head to that floor, a group of white people insisted they must have made a mistake and belonged in the general seating area. When they did finally reach the floor where the suites are, they were stopped by seven different security people asking if they were lost. “I thought maybe they are doing that to everyone and so I was watching and, no, I saw not one single white person was asked to show their ticket.”

He’s planning to share that feedback with the sports organization and recently used it as an example for other senior leaders of Starbucks as an example of why the I&amp;D work is so important and why bias has to be addressed.

“We have to hold ourselves, and hold each other accountable,” he said. Around the country, I&amp;D leaders “have a responsibility to make sure that we are speaking out and speaking up – speaking for everyone in the organization in every single part of the organization. It takes courage and you have to have some courageous conversations with executive leaders at times, but this is our moment and in this moment, we will create a movement.”

‘Inclusion doesn’t mean exclusion’

Pain can take on many forms – being excluded, being ignored, being targeted or profiled, being underestimated, mental health struggles, and, of course, physical pain.

Brockman’s work is focused on making the world better for others – making it more of a just and fair place. But some pain, even he can’t do anything about. He and his wife of 28 years, Evonna, have two children who were both born with Sickle Cell Disease, a genetic red blood cell disorder. One of the hallmarks of it is that it can cause pain so severe that the patient has to be hospitalized. He remembers having to step outside the hospital room sometimes so his child wouldn’t see him cry – and then he’d bolster himself and go back in.

Being truly present with someone in their pain, even when you can’t fix it, is its own kind of courage. &nbsp;

Today, their son, D.J., is a 26-old music engineer who owns his own studio. Their daughter, DeVonna, 20, is studying film at college. “They have this attitude that nothing is going to stop them,” he says. “They have such passion for life.”

He and Evonna always wanted them to feel like they could do anything in life. They’ve always been there to advocate for their kids. Not everyone has that.

When people think about I&amp;D work, they often think of people who are BIPOC, but it also includes people with disabilities, LGBTQIA partners – and everyone, Brockman stresses. There are <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-partner-networks-help-create-a-culture-of-belonging/">12 partner networks</a> (business resource groups) that are partner led. All partners are welcome to join any of the groups, as a member of that community or as an ally.

“Something I say a lot, that’s important to understand, is that inclusion does not mean exclusion,” Brockman said. “This work is not only about our BIPOC partners. This work is about how we want every partner to have an opportunity to be included in this organization. We want that for every customer and every community.”

‘We’ll make a difference in this world’

Brockman’s smile brightens when he thinks about one of the best days of his life – the day he was able to buy his mom her own home. It was open and bright, with big windows that looked out onto her yard. From her window, she could see across the street, where a longtime friend from church lived. Another friend lived next door. For her, Mama Judy, home had never been just a place to live, but a place to belong and help others feel they did too.

“She loved to entertain so every time I called her, I was like ‘OK, whose over there now?’ Someone was always at the house,” he said. During her life, “she didn’t have much financially, but the love that she gave ….”

That love helped others feel like they could do anything. And in turn, those people could be there for others. While Mama Judy died two years ago, at home surrounded by love, the ripples of her life go on through Brockman and, in turn, to Starbucks partners and, ultimately to customers.

If Starbucks partners feel like they belong, they’ll help make sure customers do too, Brockman believes. “It’s the little things, like writing a customer’s name on a cup,” he said. “… We’ll make a difference in this world. We’ll be the company that shows what’s possible.”

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Dennis Brockman in striped sweater smiling, holding a coffee cup

Starbucks global chief inclusion & diversity officer talks what it takes to create a place where people truly feel welcome. 

‘I want people to feel like they belong’: Starbucks I&D chief Dennis Brockman focuses on ultimate goal

Stories to inspire and nurture the human spirit

Starbucks Stories

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‘I want people to feel like they belong’: Starbucks I&amp;D chief Dennis Brockman focuses on ultimate goal

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We are on a journey to advance racial and social equity for our partners (employees), our community and our society. And we have made progress. Almost 50 years ago, we set out to be a different kind of company—with a third place community where everyone is welcome and respected at its core. But now, today, in this moment, we know there is much more to do. Bold actions that we must take as our journey continues, to act with intention, transparency and accountability.&nbsp;

It is a journey grounded in our mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit.&nbsp;

It is our responsibility, and it is our commitment.

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Advancing Starbucks Culture of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity

Our work to advance inclusion, diversity and equity at Starbucks has already led to important policies, programs and initiatives. We are building on the work in our prior Civil Rights Assessments conducted by Covington &amp; Burling, including the recommendation to hire a Chief Inclusion &amp; Diversity Officer, Zing Shaw, vp chief inclusion &amp; diversity officer, who joined Starbucks in December 2019 to help establish a strategic vision for the path ahead for Starbucks.&nbsp;To create an even more diverse and equitable workplace means there is still more to be done, and we are committed to taking further actions toward tangible and lasting change.

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We will be intentional in cultivating a culture of inclusion, with a focus on partner retention and development.

We will be transparent in our approach to Inclusion and Diversity goal setting and progress.&nbsp;&nbsp;

We will hold ourselves accountable at the highest levels of the organization.

Supporting community resilience

When we talk about using Starbucks “scale for good,” we mean that every business has the potential to promote equity in the community it serves; and since Starbucks serves more than 30,000 communities, we have the potential—and yes, responsibility—to promote equity on a larger scale than some other businesses.

We will take our next steps in strengthening the communities we serve.&nbsp;

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We are on a journey to advance racial and social equity for our partners (employees), our community and our society. And we have made progress.

Our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity at Starbucks

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Today Starbucks shared next steps it’s taking to advance racial and social equity as part of its ongoing journey to create a welcoming and inclusive Third Place.

In<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-role-and-responsibility-in-advancing-racial-and-social-equity/"> letter to partners</a>, ceo Kevin Johnson outlined new commitments the company will make to elevate inclusion, diversity, and equity on behalf of partners (employees) and the communities it serves – rooted in intentionality, transparency and accountability.&nbsp;

“As we discuss inclusion, diversity and equity, we discover time and again that these topics are foundational to our Starbucks Mission and Values,” Johnson said. “Of course, they are. The very concept of the Third Place embodies inclusion – creating a place of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome."

The full list of those commitments is available <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/our-commitment-to-inclusion-diversity-and-equity-at-starbucks/">here</a> with key highlights including:

In addition, the company announced the rollout of&nbsp;$1.5&nbsp;million&nbsp;in <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/the-starbucks-foundation-awards-neighborhood-grants-to-advance-racial-equity/">Neighborhood Grants</a>&nbsp;from The Starbucks Foundation prioritizing grassroots and community-based nonprofit organizations focused on local impact. These grants aim to uplift organizations led by and that serve Black&nbsp;communities&nbsp;and will support more than 400 local nonprofit&nbsp;organizations across the country. The Foundation will also invest&nbsp;$5&nbsp;million&nbsp;to launch a&nbsp;two-year initiative focused on supporting&nbsp;nonprofits&nbsp;that serve&nbsp;BIPOC youth.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Starbucks shared next steps it’s taking to advance racial and social equity as part of its ongoing journey to create a welcoming and inclusive Third Place.

Starbucks announces new commitments to advance racial and social equity

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This page shows data from our 2019 Report. For the most up-to-date goals and progress, see our <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/starbucks-global-environmental-and-social-impact-report-2021/">2021 Global Environmental &amp; Social Impact Report</a>.

Since our founding, Starbucks has a long legacy of putting our partners first and creating a culture where everyone is welcome. In 2019, we published a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2019/01/Covington-Report-to-Starbucks-Jan-23-2019.pdf">Civil Rights Assessment</a> in which Covington &amp; Burling LLP evaluated our ongoing efforts related to diversity, equity and inclusion and how they support our mission and values. We <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/an-update-on-starbucks-civil-rights-assessment/">continue to track</a> annually against this assessment, reviewing its recommendations as we plan. Our equity and inclusion activity is updated regularly <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/starbucks-equity-and-inclusion-timeline/">here</a>.

Among partners, our approach is to create meaningful opportunities by investing in their health, well-being, and overall success, all while working to advance a culture of equity and inclusion. This means ensuring that leadership demonstrates commitment and accountability to inclusion and diversity. It means building collective understanding among all partners, and cultivating a more inclusive workplace, where partners feel valued and a sense of belonging. It means building and sustaining a highly engaged, high-performing, and diverse workforce at all levels. And it means ensuring equal opportunity, pay equity, and proactive workplace resolutions.

3,200+ diplomas with 14,000+ participants

Goal: Graduate 25,000 Starbucks partners from Arizona State University (ASU) by the end of 2025 Starbucks College Achievement Plan is helping partners complete their education through Arizona State University (ASU) online. We are proud to continue to lead in this area, providing 100% tuition reimbursement to partners that work an average of 20 hours a week or more. As of June 2020, more than <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-celebrates-our-college-graduates/">4,500 partners</a> have earned first-time bachelor’s degrees since the program was announced in 2014.

We also continue to expand the <a href="https://www.starbucksglobalacademy.com/#/default">Starbucks Global Academy</a>, a globally accessible platform created in partnership with ASU for Starbucks partners as well as customers, community members, and learners around the world that delivers world-class learning content and eliminates barriers to high quality education.

New U.S. and Canada mental health initiative and family support benefits

Goal: Continued leadership in innovative, relevant benefits for full- and part-time retail employees Starbucks continues to pioneer <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2020/03/Infographic-Starbucks-Benefits-March-2020.pdf">innovative benefits</a> for our full- and part-time partners in the U.S., and internationally, we continue to customize our compensation packages to remain competitive and responsive to partner feedback.

The new <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-commitment-to-partners-mental-health/">mental health initiative</a> announced to U.S. and Canadian partners in FY19, with further rollout in early FY20, includes efforts to break the stigma around mental health needs, connect partners to quality care that meet their specific needs, and provide ongoing training to 12,000 store managers and field leaders. In FY19 we also announced new reimbursement for uncovered surrogacy and intrauterine insemination in the U.S. and Canada.

100% pay equity in the U.S.; 100% gender equity in pay in Canada and China

Goal: 100% global gender pay equity in U.S. and company-owned markets Our pay equity achievements to date were reached in FY18 and maintained with continued rigor in FY19. We continue to work toward <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/starbucks-commitment-to-gender-racial-pay-equity/">global pay equity</a>. In 2019 the median pay for women globally was 98.3% of the median for men, while in the U.S., the median pay ratio was 100% for women and 100% for people of color.

In the U.S., Starbucks and 25 other U.S. employers in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.employersforpayequity.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Employers for Pay Equity</a>&nbsp;consortium agreed in 2019 to work with a shared set of <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/25-companies-join-starbucks-to-end-u-s-gender-pay-gap/">Pay Equity Principles</a>. We have established U.S. best practices supporting these principles. Going forward we will establish global best practices as well.

42% women in senior leadership; 17% people of color in senior leadership

Goal: At the senior leadership level, 50% women and a 50% increase in representation by people of color since 2015 In addition to our goals related to staff leaders, our board is currently comprised of 38% women, four of whom are members of minority groups. Starbucks first Global Chief Inclusion &amp; Diversity Officer, Nzinga Shaw, was hired in November 2019. In an&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2020/02/Starbucks-Civil-Rights-Assessment-2020-Update.pdf">Update to Starbucks Civil Rights Assessment</a>&nbsp;the company has set new representation goals for the first time across all roles, including, at minimum, a goal of 40% people of color and 55% women in all retail roles, and 50% women and 30% people of color for all enterprise roles, by 2025.

More than 175,000 participating in anti-bias training since 2018

Goal: Cultivation of inclusion and diversity awareness Following Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2019/01/Covington-Report-to-Starbucks-Jan-23-2019.pdf">Civil Rights Assessment</a> in January of 2019, we have implemented several recommendations and continue to review them as we plan. In FY19, we published principles on <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/starbucks-principles-for-upholding-the-third-place-for-our-partners-our-customers-and-our-communities/">upholding the third place</a> and rolled out new resources for partners including&nbsp;<a href="https://tobewelcoming.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">To Be Welcoming</a>, a 15-course online curriculum designed to address bias through understanding the human experience; the course is also available to customers.

Goal: Hire 100,000 Opportunity Youth by the end of 2020 These <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2017/starbucks-hiring-initiatives/">hiring commitments</a> are intended to welcome new partners from communities that may experience barriers to employment. The FY19 status for Opportunity Youth is a decrease from the FY18 status due to an identified technical error.

Nearly 28,000 veterans and military spouses hired

Goal: Hire 25,000 veterans and military spouses by 2025 We met our military hiring goal <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/meet-some-of-the-25000-veterans-and-military-spouses-starbucks-has-hired/">six years early</a>, with a new goal set to hire 5,000 veterans and military spouses annually. More detail on our military commitment is <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/starbucks-military-commitment/">here</a>.

Goal: Hire 10,000 refugees globally by 2022 We continue to collaborate with other employers to share best practices and build partnerships with refugee-serving organizations. Starbucks EMEA has hired refugees in 12 countries across the region in partnership with local non-governmental organizations.

$7.5 billion spent with diverse suppliers since 2000

Goal: Stimulate economic development in the communities Starbucks serves while delivering high-quality products and services Starbucks Supplier Diversity and Inclusion program&nbsp;drives inclusion of&nbsp;qualified women-, minority-, people with disabilities-, veteran-,&nbsp;LGBTQ-&nbsp;and small (8(a) and HUBZone)-owned suppliers&nbsp;throughout our supply chain. To continue these efforts, we will focus on suppliers of all sizes and will include mentorship components to assist suppliers in developing to a point where they can succeed as a Starbucks supplier.

2019 Report: Creating Meaningful Opportunities - Starbucks Stories

2019 Report: Creating Meaningful Opportunities

Starbucks 2019 Global Social Impact Report: Creating Meaningful Opportunities goals and progress.

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Located in the heart of Penang’s historic Deaf community, the Penang Signing Store serves as the Third Place for community events and celebrations of Deaf culture

New store is Starbucks fourth Signing Store globally and second in Malaysia, the first Starbucks market to launch the Signing Store format

PENANG —&nbsp;Today, Starbucks announced the opening of the Penang Signing Store, its second in Malaysia and fourth globally, as part of its ongoing commitment to inclusion, accessibility and diversity. Located in the heart of Penang’s historic Deaf community, the store creates new career opportunities for Deaf and Hard of Hearing partners (employees), while also serving as the Third Place for Penang’s long-established Deaf community to host sign language workshops and career development seminars.

“The overwhelming success of our first Signing Store in Kuala Lumpur in 2016 demonstrated the importance of representation and belonging in the workplace,” said Sydney Quays, managing director of Starbucks Malaysia &amp; Brunei. “It taught us how valuing different perspectives not only contributes back to the business, but also makes meaningful changes that enriches lives. The reason that we chose Penang is because of its rich culture and historic relationship with the Deaf community in Malaysia, spanning more than 50 years.”

Starbucks Malaysia partnered with the Penang Deaf Association to support the professional training and development of the store’s partners, including internship opportunities and sign language classes for the store’s seven hearing partners. “We’re very excited to partner with Starbucks to provide richer career opportunities and a sense of belonging to the Deaf community in Penang,” said Razman Tan Abdullah, President of the Penang Deaf Association. “Starbucks stores are a place for many kinds of people to come together, and we’re proud to invite everyone to experience the vibrant Deaf culture that has thrived here in Penang for over 70 years.”

The three-story, 4,600 sq. ft. store in Penang showcases how digital innovation enhances inclusive design. Touchpoints around the store have been designed specifically to meet the needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing partners and customers, including visual alarms, digital trays and point-of-sale systems with an attached customer display.

The store design celebrates Deaf culture with a mural wall created by local Deaf artist Lim Anuar. Exclusive Signing Store merchandise will also be available, including the first Starbucks Cards to feature Starbucks in sign language, as well as mugs and keychains.

The U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir, attended the opening ceremony and praised Starbucks Malaysia’s innovative Signing Store format, which launched in the U.S. in 2018 and China in May 2019. “Starbucks should be lauded for their proactive approach to diverse hiring. It has set a positive example of how an American company can learn and adapt to a program that was initiated right here in Malaysia, by Malaysians. I continue to take great pride in promoting the commitment to inclusion and the outstanding corporate social responsibility work showcased by American firms like Starbucks that operate in Malaysia.”

“As a global brand, Starbucks believes that one of the most important contributions we can make is to serve as a catalyst for positive impact in the communities where we do business,” said John Culver, group president, International, Channel Development and Global Coffee &amp; Tea. “For nearly 50 years, we’ve aimed to live by our Mission and Values everywhere around the world. We are proud of our partners in Malaysia for taking the lead in inclusion, accessibility and diversity, and inspiring us to expand the Signing Store format around the world.”

In conjunction with the launch day, the store will offer the Vanilla Fig Frappuccino® blended beverage at a special opening price. For each purchase, Starbucks Malaysia will donate RM1 (0.24USD) to the Penang Deaf Association to develop programs that will support the community.

Since Starbucks opened its first store in Malaysia in 1998, Starbucks Malaysia has grown to 300 stores across 58 cities, employing more than 4,000 partners.

Starbucks partners smile and pose inside Signing Store in Penang, Malaysia

Career Opportunities Expand in Malaysia with Opening of Starbucks Signing Store - Starbucks Stories

Career Opportunities Expand in Malaysia with Opening of Starbucks Signing Store

Starbucks announces the opening of the Penang Signing Store, its second in Malaysia and fourth globally, as part of its ongoing commitment to inclusion, accessibility and diversity.

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https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/career-opportunities-expand-in-malaysia-with-opening-of-starbucks-signing-store/

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By now it has become an annual tradition, a symbol of the LGBTQ movement and a celebration of Pride. Today, Starbucks raised its Pride Flag high above its headquarters at the Starbucks Support Center, as it has <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2014/for-the-first-time-starbucks-raises-the-pride-flag-atop-its-headquarters/">each June since 2014</a>. At 19 by 38 feet, the rainbow banner is larger than the average Seattle apartment, and among the largest ever made to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer inclusion.

“I am so honored to be here today at the rising of our Pride Flag,” said <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/leadership/rossann-williams/">Rossann Williams</a>, who leads retail operations in more than 8,000 company-operated stores across the United States. “I'm so proud to work for a company where we are all seen and respected as individuals. This has been woven into the fabric of our culture for almost 50 years. That's who we are.”

Starbucks’ support for the LGBTQ community <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/starbucks-pride-a-long-legacy-of-lgbtq-inclusion/">goes back decades</a>, offering health benefits for same-sex domestic partners of part- and full-time employees since 1998. More than 10 years ago, Starbucks established Workplace Gender Transition Guidelines to support transgender partners and added coverage of gender reassignment surgery to the company’s health benefits in 2013, and <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/they-are-lifesaving-starbucks-offers-expanded-benefits-for-trans-people/">expanded benefits in 2018</a>. The company has also spoken out in <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-applauds-supreme-courts-ruling-on-marriage-equality">support of marriage equality</a>, helped create <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/safe-place-program-at-starbucks">safe spaces</a> for victims of anti-LGBTQ-related crimes and harassment, and <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/views/starbucks-commitment-to-inclusion">urged equal treatment for the LGBTQ community.</a>

Starbucks partners have been powerful advocates for the LGBTQ community both inside and outside the company from the beginning. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/StarbucksPride/">Starbucks Pride Alliance Network</a>, which held its first informal meeting in 1996, now includes thousands of partners in chapters around the world.

Williams underscored the company’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as a core part of its mission and values. “There’s never been a more important time for all of us to stand together however we self-identify. We’re all in this together,” she said.

<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/love-meet-the-designer-of-the-starbucks-pride-cup-people-are-buzzing-about/">LOVE: Meet the designer of the Starbucks Pride cup people are buzzing about </a>

Cloudy with a chance of rainbows: Pride Flag hoisted at Starbucks HQ - Starbucks Stories

Cloudy with a chance of rainbows: Pride Flag hoisted at Starbucks HQ

Starbucks raised its Pride Flag high above its headquarters at the Starbucks Support Center, as it has each June since 2014 as a symbol of the LGBTQ movement and a celebration of Pride.

https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2019/06/20190624-pride-flag-raising-003-crop-1024x512.jpg

https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-rainbows-pride-flag-hoisted-at-starbucks-hq/

Every day at Starbucks we set out to be a different kind of company that champions Our Mission and Values rooted in providing a third place that is welcoming to everyone. To live out this principle, we strive to create opportunity for all by elevating equity, diversity and inclusion in everything we do – to benefit our partners, our customers and the communities we serve. Through ongoing community partnerships, feedback from our partners and customers, and counsel from civil rights leaders, Starbucks will continue our journey to be a place where everyone is welcome. 

Here are some of our latest updates on these efforts since we released the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/starbucks-overview-of-the-covington-assessment-on-civil-rights-equity-diversity-and-inclusion/">Civil Rights Assessment</a> in January 2019:

We are committed to advancing this work as we aspire to live our Mission and Values and create an even more inclusive, diverse and equitable company where everyone is welcome.

To learn more, visit: <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/equity-inclusion/">https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/equity-inclusion/</a>

At Starbucks we set out to be a different kind of company and provide a welcoming third place for everyone. Here are the latest updates on our efforts.

An update on Starbucks ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts - Starbucks Stories

An update on Starbucks ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts

https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2019/01/Starbucks_Logo_Hi-res.jpg

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/update-on-starbucks-ongoing-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-efforts/

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