Yesterday, local Maryland news station WLBT 3 shared that a Black Starbucks customer recently went through a troubling situation while visiting the popular coffee chain. Monique Pugh, was waiting for her coffee at a Starbucks when she noticed the word “monkey” written on her cup. She said that she asked the barista why her drink had that word on it, and the employee explained that it was because her name is Monique.
Monique said that she was immediately upset and felt disrespected by the barista who had written the word on her cup. She confronted the employee, who reportedly responded by saying that “monkey” is a common nickname for people with names like Monique. Starbucks has since issued an apology to Monique and has suspended the employee involved. They are also investigating the incident to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again in the future. The customer said she is still considering whether or not to pursue legal action against Starbucks
Hopefully, this latest incident will prompt Starbucks to take even stronger action to ensure that all of its customers feel safe and respected when they visit one of its. This is just one example of the racism that Black people face on a daily basis. It’s sad that in 2022, we’re still having to deal with such blatant disregard and disrespect. Hopefully, incidents like these will help to show people that change is still needed in our society.
