A coalition of pro-life leaders has reached out to Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson calling on him to stop donating to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, pointing out that it was founded by “an outspoken racist” and is responsible for “the slaughter of minority children” through abortion.
A letter signed by Alveda King, the director of Civil Rights for the Unborn, ForAmerica President L. Brent Bozell, Richard Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, and many other pro-life leaders was sent to Starbucks on Monday–the same day that Starbucks closes its stores for racial bias training.
The letter said in part:
“Planned Parenthood Founder Margaret Sanger once said, ‘We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population,’” the pro-life leaders noted in their letter.
“In your April statement responding to the arrest of two African-American men sitting in one of your stores, you declared that Starbucks’ ‘founding values are based on humanity and inclusion.’
“As men and women who fight for the value and dignity of every human life, we ask:
“Where is the ‘humanity’ and ‘inclusion’ when your company matches employees’ donations to Planned Parenthood, whose founder Margaret Sanger was an outspoken racist with genocidal intentions?
“This week, Starbucks is holding ‘racial-bias education’ training for nearly 175,000 employees nationwide.
“If you think this public relations fix means Starbucks is no longer complicit in racism, it’s time to wake up and smell your own coffee.
“Active with the Ku Klux Klan and the eugenics movement, Margaret Sanger’s stated agenda was to eradicate the African American population. Her dream is being realized by the slaughter of minority children today through the horror of abortion.
“With every donation your company gives to Planned Parenthood, the largest single provider of abortions in the United States performing over 300,000 per year, Starbucks is contributing to one of the most racist organizations in our nation’s history.
“… So if Starbucks wants to own the corporate mantle of ending racist business practices, then we challenge you to stop funding Planned Parenthood’s House of Horrors which has taken precious lives away from minority communities; and from society at large.”
Starbucks decided to close its stores to train its employees on racial bias after an employee at a Philadelphia Starbucks called the police on two black men who were waiting for a friend inside the store without purchasing anything.
Starbucks Executive Chairman Howard Schultz addressed the issue in an open letter on Monday on the company’s website, saying the company sometimes falls short, “disappointing ourselves and all of you.”
The Starbucks open letter said in part:
Recently, a Starbucks manager in Philadelphia called the police a few minutes after two black men arrived at a store and sat waiting for a friend. They had not yet purchased anything when the police were called. After police arrived they arrested the two men. The situation was reprehensible and does not represent our company’s mission and enduring values.
After investigating what happened, we determined that insufficient support and training, a company policy that defined customers as paying patrons—versus anyone who enters a store—and bias led to the decision to call the police. Our ceo, Kevin Johnson, met with the two men to express our deepest apologies, reconcile and commit to ongoing actions to reaffirm our guiding principles.
The incident has prompted us to reflect more deeply on all forms of bias, the role of our stores in communities and our responsibility to ensure that nothing like this happens again at Starbucks. The reflection has led to a long-term commitment to reform systemwide policies, while elevating inclusion and equity in all we do.
Today we take another step to ensure we live up to our mission:
FOR SEVERAL HOURS THIS AFTERNOON, STARBUCKS WILL CLOSE STORES AND OFFICES TO DISCUSS HOW TO MAKE STARBUCKS A PLACE WHERE ALL PEOPLE FEEL WELCOME.
What will we be doing? More than 175,000 Starbucks partners (that’s what we call our employees) will be sharing life experiences, hearing from others, listening to experts, reflecting on the realities of bias in our society and talking about how all of us create public spaces where everyone feels like they belong—because they do. This conversation will continue at our company and become part of how we train all of our partners.
Discussing racism and discrimination is not easy, and various people have helped us create a learning experience that we hope will be educational, participatory and make us a better company. We want this to be an open and honest conversation starting with our partners. We will also make the curriculum available to the public.
(Courtesy of CNSNews.com)
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