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Throughout February, Starbucks Canada is celebrating Black History Month by sharing the unique stories and experiences of its Black partners (employees) each week on Starbucks Stories.

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Concluding the month-long series are two Montreal-based Starbucks partners, store manager, Virginia and Carine, a Starbucks real-estate representative. They are proud members of Starbucks Canada’s Black Partner Network and the co-chairs of the Montreal chapter.

Here, the two partners reflect on the importance of BPN’s presence in Quebec and the changes networks like theirs can have in the lives of Black professionals.

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Born and raised in Montreal, I’ve had the benefit of being surrounded by people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds throughout my entire life. However, despite Montreal’s diversity, many large companies with a strong Québécoise presence still fail to have that diversity reflected among their employees. Being in a francophone province, I believe it’s especially important that our partners who are racialized minorities or BIPOC have the same space, support and resources as their anglophone counterparts throughout the rest of Canada. This belief was the driving force behind establishing our local chapter of the Canada Black Partner Network – giving Black French-Canadian partners the opportunity to take up space and to ensure that other Black Starbucks partners feel our presence and understand that Starbucks values our contributions to the company and to all the communities where our cafes are found.

I love being a Starbucks partner because the work that I do, both as a store manager and as co-chair of BPN, allows me to pursue my purpose and personal goal of positively impacting as many people as possible. The continued growth and evolution of BPN has amplified my ability to impact my community as I broaden my network and collaborate with partners across Canada. Together, we are stronger, and united, we can achieve so much more than we ever could apart, by helping shape both our business and our communities.

I’m really excited we are celebrating Black History Month in such a big way thanks to the collaboration of BPN and so many partners. I’m learning a lot about the history of Black Canadians, whose contributions to society we don’t often take time to recognize. Since establishing our BPN chapter last August, our focus has been on the engagement and education of partners, but as we move forward, I hope to work more closely with our local Black community in Montreal.

As our first year with the Black Partner Network comes to a close, we anticipate the years ahead, creating change and continuing to heighten our impact in the communities we call home by sharing resources and leveraging moments of connection.

I immigrated to Canada in 2018, and when I arrived, I was surprised to discover the existence of Black professional networks - a resource that is practically non-existent where I grew up in France. &nbsp;These networks offer a great deal of value by supporting members of the Black community to advance their careers and further their professional development. As someone brand new to the Canadian job market, tapping into these networks introduced me to job-search workshops, networking and mentoring events and helped me connect with other professionals.

These opportunities and experiences helped me successfully navigate my job search and connect with Black professionals to expand my network. Through these new connections, I received support and advice from people who understood my reality as a Black person, and I began to recognize the importance of having a network in order to find a job in Canada, a network that Black people are often lacking.

During my recruiting process with Starbucks, the very first person to contact me was a Black partner named François. Knowing my first interview was with a Black person like me helped put me at ease. I knew I would be judged objectively based on my qualifications, skills and work experience. My skin colour and my ethnic origin would not be seen as a disability. I was confident that I would be treated like any other applicant, and I was. My interview with François went extremely well, as did the other interviews with my team’s leaders, and the experience increased my confidence in both myself and my abilities, and I knew that, by joining Starbucks, I would be joining a company and a team where diversity and inclusion are important values. I shared my experience with Francois to show the importance of having representation of Black people in an organization and the impact it has on us. Having Black people in a company is the best way to demonstrate that we're welcome there.

These experiences are why it was natural for me to find a way to give back and provide others with the support and resources that helped me on my professional path. Together, Virginia and I founded the Black Partner Network’s Montreal chapter with the goal of supporting members of the community by helping them with their development and creating a forum for discussion where everyone is welcome, Black people and allies alike!

While we look back on our first six months as a network with pride, we look forward to the important work ahead. We look forward to growing our network, hearing their voices and being part of their professional journey.&nbsp;

Montreal-based Starbucks partners reflect on the importance of BPN’s presence in Quebec and the changes networks like theirs can have in the lives of Black professionals.

Behind the Green Apron: Québécoise Black Partner Network Co-Chairs Discuss the Importance of Professional Networks for the Black Community - Starbucks Canada

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Starbucks Canada

Behind the Green Apron: Québécoise Black Partner Network Co-Chairs Discuss the Importance of Professional Networks for the Black Community

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2021/quebecoise-bpn-co-chairs-discuss-professional-networks-black-community/

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@blackpowerbarbie, is a self-taught illustrator and animator, known for her stunning illustrations of Black femmes. A compassionate and driven storyteller, @blackpowerbarbie aims to produce creative representations of communities who face a great deal of misrepresentation in today’s media.

@blackpowerbarbie partnered with Starbucks Canada to create the artwork for the Black Partner Network - Say it Loud playlist, and crafted the illustrations that accompany the “Behind the Green Apron” partner features for Black History Month.

Below, she discusses the path she took to becoming an animator, the inspiration behind her work and her partnership with Starbucks.

Q: Can you tell us about where you’re from and what you do?

A: I am from Toronto; I grew up in Toronto around the GTA, but I was born in Brooklyn, NY. And that’s where I live now. I’ve been living here for about a year and a half. I moved because I am a freelance artist, so I had the freedom to be wherever. I am an illustrator and an animator and a director.

Q: How did you become an illustrator?

A: Growing up, I had always liked drawing, and I didn’t think I was very good at it, but I was creative, so I found other things to do. I got really into musical theatre and performance art, and that’s what my main focus and unofficial first career was. Then, in university I had gotten into a performance art school in New York, but it was very expensive. I couldn’t justify the cost, so I ended up staying in Toronto, and I went to Ryerson for radio and television broadcast. The thought was that I’d train to be an on-camera personality. It was the most pragmatic way for me to achieve my goals.&nbsp;

In my second year, I had a digital media course, and there was an animation unit. The professor for that class was a huge mentor of mine and very supportive. The class had an animation section that I really enjoyed. The project I created was the most fun I had had making anything for school in a long time. The class loved it; my teacher loved it and was like, “You need to do more of these.” So, from my second year of university until I graduated, I became a self-taught animator..&nbsp;

From there, illustration came through as a different outlet. I connected with it in a way I hadn’t connected with other ways of being creative, mostly because I was able to be independent. At the time, I was still trying to do theatre while I was in school. I was taking acting classes and doing shows and all that stuff, but it was really hard. You have to rely on other people to give you opportunities, and I found with animation and illustration, if there’s a story you want to tell or a way you want to express yourself, you can, from top to bottom, be in control of that production and create whatever you want without waiting to hear “yes” from a bunch of other people. That’s how it happened, and I eventually started charging people for my work. Four years later, it’s my full time job and I get to do cool stuff that I never imagined.&nbsp;

Q: Why was it important to you to work with Starbucks Canada on this project?

A: To get to where I am, I took a very non-traditional route, and a lot of my work has centred around representing myself and my community. Whatever success or opportunities I’ve gotten, I’ve tried not to fold on my principles or do the easy thing or just make the things that people wanted me to. My community has been really supportive in making that happen.

I don’t think many people, at least not me, someone who, over the course of my teen years, consumed a lot of Starbucks, ever thought Starbucks would be interested in my work, or that the things that I like to make would be something that they would be supportive of. I think it’s really important, as brands evolve, to be a part of initiatives that bridge communities and expand the ways we think about certain communities engaging with certain brands. I was really honoured and flattered to be asked to collaborate, and I also thought it was important to make time to do it because it symbolizes a lot of growth for myself, and I think it’s important for other people to be able to make those connections when they see the work.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Q: Can you talk through the inspiration behind the artwork you did for Starbucks playlist? Why did you choose this artistic representation?

A: I usually don’t do a lot of silhouettes. My illustrations tend to be more detailed, but with this, I knew different baristas and customers might be engaging with it, so I didn’t want the cover for the playlist to have representations of specific people. I wanted it to be more of an overarching representation of the Black community within the context of Starbucks branding, so people could project their own connections onto it.&nbsp;

I still wanted to have very strong Black signifying elements in the illustration, like the hairstyles and genders. I usually don’t draw men, but I thought I should include male identifying people as well. What I wanted to do was take the branding of Starbucks, the waves of the Siren, and repurpose that in my own special way to subvert the Starbucks branding for a Black audience with my aesthetic.

Q: Can you explain some of the recurring themes of your work? What inspires you when you start a project?

A: My projects, especially my personal projects, usually start from an emotional impulse - a need to tell a story, a need to condense a certain feeling or experience into a singular image or animation. I try as hard as I can to keep my ego out of work and focus on what’s true, how I actually feel and what I’m trying to communicate to other people.&nbsp;

As someone who goes by the name of “Black Power Barbie”, what I want is for Black women, specifically, to feel a sense of resonance with my work and to have an emotional connection to the pieces. So, being honest and being true is really important. The reason I focus on the community that I do in my work is because there are many misrepresentations of us that we’re not in control of. I think it’s important that people have control over their own stories and are participating in their cultural narratives. That way, for all the misrepresentations, at least we’re contributing things we can meaningfully see ourselves in. That’s always the place that I’m coming from, “Is this helpful? Is this honest? Is this true? How do I feel about this existing outside of my body? Is this a piece of work that is representing other Black fem-identifying people or queer people?” Those are the common themes that I start with.&nbsp;

Q: As an artist, what have you learned about the power of representation in media?

A: The way that we engage with media is so instantaneous. So, when you don’t see things, you forget that they exist. Your world really gets siloed into whatever you’re watching on Netflix or whatever the algorithm feeds you, and everything that falls outside of that fades away into the background. When you’re part of a community where you feel you’re not seeing yourself often, and when you do, you’re not seeing yourself accurately, it has a negative toll on the way you perceive yourself and your social positioning as a human being.&nbsp;

I think it’s really important that people are not only seeing reflections of themselves, but other communities as well. It’s important to engage in content that’s not just an echo chamber of what I am and what I see. The purpose of art, beyond just looking at it, is to share stories and information so people can foster connections with those communities.&nbsp;

Q: What sparked your interest in the arts in the first place? Who are your creative influences and inspirations?

A: I feel like I’m influenced by a lot of different things. I would say, Basquiat of course, Kerry James Marshall, people like Solange and Janelle Monáe, folks who are unapologetically Black and creative and take opportunities to tell really honest and creative stories that centre around Blackness. Those are my main criteria, and there’s so many different people who fall into that category, who have that type of influence.&nbsp;

Beyond that, I’m inspired by my own life, by music, by film, by dance. I think when I see other people having fun and being free and just creating for the sake of creating, that’s inspirational to me. No matter what the artistic medium is. I find the world around me inspiring. There’s always a story or something deeper to discover just from everyday life.

Q: What do you hope people will learn from your work?

A: It honestly depends on the person who’s engaging with it. If you find yourself represented in my work, or you think that you’re within the fold of the community that my work represents, whether that’s through your womanhood or femininity or your queerness, your Blackness, I don’t necessarily&nbsp; hope that you learn anything, I hope that you feel something. I hope that you feel seen, and that your existence is affirmed and recognized in a loving and vulnerable way.&nbsp;

If you don’t see yourself reflected in my work, I hope the thing you learn is that these types of people exist in these contexts. This is a representation of who they are and how they feel, and that’s valid. If you look at it and you appreciate it, what you’re learning is that you can appreciate things in people and forge connections with people who you have differences with. I didn’t assume that a lot of non-Black people would appreciate my work, but my Instagram following says the contrary, and I love that. If you can sit there and listen to me talk about the things that I talk about and appreciate the art that I make, even though you’re not the target audience, I feel like there’s some value in that because the work is the entry point into you having a connection to these folks and deepening your understanding of their humanity.&nbsp;

I try to be as vulnerable as possible, and by putting myself out there, I’m trying to let people know that it’s okay to do that, and I encourage them to do that as well. You don’t have to put on a brave face or hide behind stereotypes people think apply to you when you know you’re so much more. It’s okay to be soft and open because the more we do it, the more normal it feels, and we can all feel a little less lonely.&nbsp;

Amika partnered with Starbucks Canada to create the artwork for the Black Partner Network - Say it Loud playlist, and crafted the illustrations that accompany the “Behind the Green Apron” partner features for Black History Month.

Meet @blackpowerbarbie - the artist behind the artwork of the Black Partner Network Playlist. - Starbucks Canada

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Meet @blackpowerbarbie &#8211; the artist behind the artwork of the Black Partner Network Playlist.

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2021/amika-cooper-bpn-playlist-artist/

Meet @blackpowerbarbie – the artist behind the artwork of the Black Partner Network Playlist.

This week, Toronto store manager Chelsea Gayle discusses how a lack of awareness and acknowledgment of Black contributions in Canadian history left her feeling aliented in her youth and why founding Starbucks Black Partner Network in Canada helped her reclaim her identity.

Roots are an important foundation for cultural life. Strong roots ground us, nurture us, support and sustain us. They guide us and give us awareness of cultural connections. Imagine what life would be like without having any understanding or exposure to the depth of your roots. Welcome to the life of this Afro-Canadian.

As a Black woman of Caribbean descent, it is very hard for me to trace my roots. My great-grandparents, grandparents and parents were all born on the island of Jamaica. Besides this, there isn’t much else I am aware of. This ignorance to the extent of our roots is the reality of many people of afro Caribbean and Afro-Canadian descent.

I remember sitting in history class learning about the accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman and her contributions to the Underground Railroad that made its way into Canada. But growing up in the Canadian school system, I didn’t learn about the contributions of Canadian visible minorities or the contributions of people from African descent. &nbsp;There was nothing about Viola Desmond, Josiah Henson, or Mary Ann Shadd. &nbsp;I relied on my mother’s teachings and my own curiosity to uncover Black contributions to Canadian history and to the Black experience in Canada.

You can only imagine the look on my face when I learned for the first time that my ancestors not only came from Africa, but that the African continent was a place of royalty. Imagine the pride and self-esteem young girls like me would have felt in knowing that we are among the descendants of people like Amina, the Queen of Zaria; Kandake, the Empress of Ethiopia; Makeda, the Queen of Sheba; or the more well-known Nefertiti, Queen of Egypt and wife of well-known pharaoh Akhenaten.

Not only was I missing cultural awareness, but as a young, dark-skinned girl, I faced a lot of discrimination. My experience ranges from being bullied because of the pigment in my skin to being ridiculed for my tight curls and texture of my hair. Growing up Black in Canada was not easy and it didn’t help that media rarely portrayed Black girls who looked like me. It also didn’t help that the majority of my elementary school educators were white and could not understand the hurt they caused when they recommended I straighten my hair for picture days to illustrate the “best version of myself.” Why does mutilating my hair and damaging my natural locks represent the best version of me?

Last year, I founded the first Canadian chapter of the Starbucks Black Partner Network not only as a way for me to build a community to celebrate our cultures and the accomplishments of historically significant Black Canadians, but to create a space to embrace other Black partners (employees) and celebrate the contributions we make every day, in our stores, in our offices, in our communities. 

This year, as founder of the Black Partner Network, I am so proud to celebrate Black History Month on a national stage at Starbucks. This spotlight to educate and celebrate Black culture is the first of many to come. Launching the Starbucks Canada Black Partner Network has made me a pioneer in this process, which is an honour that I am grateful to share with my co-chair Kimberly Robin. Together with our fellow members, the Black Partner Network has high aspirations: to support the acknowledgement and sharing of the heritage of the African diaspora with other Starbucks partners who, like me, want to continue to build our understanding of our history amplify the many successes and contributions of the Black community; and to help advise Starbucks Canada on how together, we can create a more safe and diverse space for Black partners.

This Black History Month is a time for celebration – a time to adjust and recreate the narrative; a time for Black people to be rooted in both culture and an unbiased history; a time to make our contributions &nbsp;to Canadian society known. &nbsp;We will celebrate Black excellence and that Black is beautiful in all forms. We will highlight the accomplishments and unapologetically brag about the beauty we’ve been told was unacceptable and unprofessional for years. &nbsp;

Amanda Gorman's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4">2021 presidential inaugural poem</a> leaves us with hope when she says, “For there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it.”

I want every young Black person to know we are capable of so many things. Our colonial oppressors may have tried in vain to break our spirit and dim our light but we are resilient. And we remain capable of doing so many great things.

Chelsea Gayle discusses why co-founding Starbucks Black Partner Network in Canada helped her reclaim her identity.

Behind the Green Apron: Store Manager Reveals How Launching Starbucks Black Partner Network Helped her Reconnect to her Afro-Canadian Roots - Starbucks Canada

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Behind the Green Apron: Store Manager Reveals How Launching Starbucks Black Partner Network Helped her Reconnect to her Afro-Canadian Roots

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2021/bpn-reconnect-afro-canadian-roots/

Starbucks Canada has published its anti-racism plan internally for its partners (employees) following the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/standing-together-against-racial-injustice/" target="_blank">company’s commitment</a> to&nbsp;combat inequality and stand and take action against racism with an immediate focus on anti-Black racism.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Starbucks recognizes that it’s simply not enough to “not be racist” but instead, the company is focused on being anti-racist, holding itself and its leaders accountable for achieving anti-racism goals set out for the company.

While the company will focus immediately on anti-Black racism through its broader inclusion and diversity strategy, Starbucks Canada will take action inside and outside of the company to be a model for inclusion and diversity in Canada.

Starbucks Canada’s anti-racism plan includes the following commitments and actions:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Support for current and future partners

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Support for the Black community

Educating within to be anti-racist

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In addition to launching its action plan, the company has also partnered with its Black Partner Network and allies to create and make <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/standing-together-against-racial-injustice/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Black Lives Matter t-shirts</a> available to every store partner in Canada as a demonstration of its allyship.&nbsp;

Starbucks will continue to work with its Black Partner Network, community leaders and organizations to understand the positive role it can play in showing up for its communities.&nbsp;

For more information on the steps Starbucks is taking to address racial inequity, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2020/starbucks-outlines-its-steps-to-address-racial-inequity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">click here</a>.&nbsp;

Starbucks Canada has published its anti-racism plan internally for its partners (employees) following the company’s commitment to combat inequality and stand and take action against racism with an immediate focus on anti-Black racism.

How Starbucks is Taking a Stand Against Anti-Black Racism

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https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2020/how-starbucks-is-taking-a-stand-against-anti-black-racism/

In a letter to all partners (employees) today, Starbucks Canada president Lori Digulla shared that Starbucks is committed to standing together against anti-black racism.&nbsp;

“This is not a moment, it’s a movement. Our actions and our continued expression of belief and care can support the change and the healing that is required,” Digulla said.

Starbucks continues to listen to its partners about how they want to take a stand for justice, while proudly wearing the green apron and standing united together. The company believes it is critical to support the Black Lives Matter movement as its founders intended and will continue to work with its Starbucks Black Partner Network, community leaders and organizations to understand the role that Starbucks can play to show up in a positive way for its communities.

As its latest step towards this commitment, Starbucks is partnering with Starbucks Black Partner Network and allies to create and make t-shirts available to every store partner in Canada to demonstrate our allyship and show we stand together in unity.

Read Lori Digulla’s full letter below:

We have always led with our Mission and Values. Through every moment in our history, and in every crisis, Starbucks has come together to show: We will not be bystanders. This has never been more true than today.

We have committed to a number of decisions and actions to stand together against anti-black racism, and this is just the beginning. We will do more, because more is needed.

We’ve heard you express your concern, your pain, your support, your passion, and this week we heard you ask for a way to express yourself at work. A way we can stand as black partners and allies in our clear belief:

We see you. We hear you. Black lives matter.

This is not a moment, it’s a movement. Our actions and our continued expression of belief and care can support the change and the healing that is required.

That’s one of the reasons we’re designing a new t-shirt with the graphic below, that we are making available to every store partner in Canada. This t-shirt will be available in English and French and you can expect to see these t-shirts in about a month. Until these arrive, and to answer your question, yes you can wear your BLM pin or t-shirt. Your passion, and heart, and care as always inspire us. We trust you to do what’s right while never forgetting Starbucks is a welcoming Third Place where all are treated with dignity and respect.

Designed for partners, by partners, our Starbucks Black Partner Network and allies in the U.S. created this t-shirt to demonstrate our allyship and show we stand together in unity. This t-shirt is in addition to t-shirts going to current members of the Canadian Black Partner network.

Sharing, listening and learning is so very important. By now, every district manager should have scheduled a virtual meeting to create space for you to share your feelings, your thoughts, your experiences. It’s voluntary for partners who want to engage, and we welcome you to this safe and important space.

In a letter to all partners (employees) today, Starbucks Canada president Lori Digulla shared that Starbucks is committed to standing together against anti-black racism.

Standing Together Against Racial Injustice

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2020/standing-together-against-racial-injustice/