Starbucks is planning to open up shop in Ferguson, Missouri, the focal point of racial tension in the United States since 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed there by Officer Darren Wilson in August of last year.
The store opening is apparently part of the coffee giant’s “Race Together” campaign, one element of which is increasing Starbucks’ presence in minority communities.
According to Fortune, CEO Howard Schultz announced the plans for the new store Tuesday during his remarks at an event hosted by digital media company NationSwell. Schultz explained that the shop would present a “way to create employment” in Ferguson.
While Starbucks has multiple locations in nearby areas of Missouri — including six in Lambert-St. Louis International Airport alone — none of its stores are positioned within Ferguson.
A spokesperson for Starbucks declined to name a specific opening date for the shop but explained that the store is “part of [Starbucks’] plan to build more stores in urban neighborhoods.”
Last month, the coffee chain launched its “Race Together” campaign, which initially directed employees to write the words “Race Together” on Starbucks patrons’ coffee cups in order to “engage customers in conversation” about race relations.
Unsurprisingly, this particular prong of the initiative received immediate backlash on social media and elsewhere, causing the company to scrap it immediately.
Starbucks is still moving forward with other aspects of the campaign, which involve increasing the company’s presence in minority communities like Ferguson, hosting forum discussions, and producing special content in USA TODAY.
