Starbucks will close this afternoon

Starbucks, trying to put to rest an outcry over the arrest of two black men at one of its stores, is closing more than 8,000 stores Tuesday for an afternoon of anti-bias training, a strategy some believe can keep racism at bay.

After the arrests in Philadelphia last month, the coffee chain’s leaders apologized and met with the two men, but they also reached out to activists and experts in bias training to put together a curriculum for the company’s 175,000 workers.

That has put a spotlight on the little-known world of “unconscious bias training,” which is used by many corporations, police departments and other organizations to help address racism in the workplace.

The Perception Institute, a consortium of researchers consulting with Starbucks, defines “implicit bias” as attitudes or stereotypes someone has toward a person or group without being conscious of it.

According to a video previewing the Starbucks training, there will be recorded remarks from Starbucks executives and rapper/activist Common. From there, employees will “move into a real and honest exploration of bias” where, in small groups, they can share how the issue comes up in their daily work life.

Developed with feedback from the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Perception Institute and other social advocacy groups, the four-hour session will give workers a primer on the history of civil rights from the 1960s to present day. Workers will also view a short documentary film.

According to USA Today, Tuesday’s training sessions will begin at 1 or 2 p.m. local time — after the noon rush hour. Most stores won’t reopen after the training is over.