Scott Maxwell’s May 30 column “Starbucks the latest boogeyman” shared how Ashley Moody, Florida’s Attorney General, looks again at issues through a political lens. Now that Disney is in the rearview mirror, they focus on Starbucks and its diversity, equality, and inclusion policy efforts.
Well, dang it! That falls right in the world of WOKE as far as the attorney general is concerned. No thought was given to the very embarrassing situation for Starbucks that took place a few years ago when a table of Black patrons made an employee uncomfortable, so she called the police. Think back on those headlines!
To address this issue, Starbucks closed all its stores to give diversity training nationwide. This was as much a business decision as a human-resources issue. No matter the population breakdown in a community, good business practice is to attract as many patrons as possible. The color of money is always the same no matter who is spending it. Every interaction should be an opportunity to create lifelong relationships, no matter the diversity of the individual. All are welcome, and please come back. As a part of providing good customer service, employees are given training on serving customers, which could be young or old, large or thin, Black or brown, straight or gay, English-speaking or not, etc. Take care of the customer.
Returning to my theme-park roots and later with Orlando Repertory Theatre (Orlando Family Stage), we wanted our patrons and audience to see people who looked like them on our stages and elsewhere. Besides being the right thing to do, it is a good business decision, but employees need guidance transitioning to ensure new people from underrepresented groups feel welcomed as team members. The training also included what was appropriate for dealing with different patrons. “Oh, they will figure it out!” is not a policy but an accident waiting to happen. Well, just last week, a disgruntled employee made a job posting for “whites only.” It wasn’t very comfortable for the company, and they had to apologize and pay the people who sued them.
At Orlando Rep, Jeff Revels, the artistic director, has always selected shows with a message. The attorney general and the governor should pause and consider the life lessons children learn by looking at the most straightforward stories. First, we help children understand how they fit into the world. The things that are different about us are what make us special, and that is to be celebrated. Children learn that making mistakes happens, but there is redemption. Their mistakes do not define them any more than their skin color or where they are from. There is no such thing as an unimportant person, and respect tends to be reflected. Not respecting others turns into fear for the child. If you want respect, start by giving it. Hearing stories or seeing shows is a fun way of learning, and you can’t pull the wool over their eyes. They understand far more than many people give them credit for. Adversity doesn’t build character but reveals it by inspiring children to believe in themselves and that they are important.
Change is not always easy for people, but Gov. Ron DeSantis and Ashley Moody must assume that new team members will be automatically embraced and know how best to deal with people unlike themselves. Companies hire employees and set them up for success. The goal for those employees is to focus on the customer, the quality of their experience, and working positively with the team members. The leaders care for the team members, ensuring they understand their role and how they are expected to treat everyone, including people different from themselves. That is now labeled to be “WOKE.” So, suggest training be called WAKE (We All Kare about Everybody). Finally, wake up and smell the coffee, Starbucks if you will, and let them do their thing so they do not have to close down for an afternoon when I most need my latte.
Gene Columbus is a former longtime Disney executive, the former executive director at Orlando Repertory Theatre and a former member of the Board of Directors at the Garden Theatre.