Sephora closes US stores for diversity training after Sza racial profiling incident

The beauty company says it will continue to build a community 'where diversity is expected’

Sephora will close its US stores this week to hold diversity training for staff following a racial profiling incident involving R&B singer SzA.

In April, the musician tweeted about her experience at a Sephora store in Calabasas, California, saying security staff were called over to her because a member of staff thought she was shoplifting Fenty Beauty products.

"Lmao Sandy Sephora location 614 Calabasas called security to make sure I wasn't stealing. We had a long talk. U have a blessed day Sandy," SZA tweeted about the incident.

Sephora responded to Sza’s tweet, writing: “You are a part of the Sephora family, and we are committed to ensuring every member of our community feels welcome and included at our stores.”

The move came days after the brand launched its We Belong To Something Beautiful campaign with the aim of celebrating society's differences.

In a Facebook post shared last month, Sephora said it would hold "inclusion workshops" on the morning of 5 June at its US stores as well as its distribution centres and corporate offices.

“We will never stop building a community where diversity is expected, self-expression is honoured, all are welcome and you are included,” reads a segment of its campaign message on social media.

Emily Shapiro, a spokeswoman for Sephora, told Reuters that the training sessions were not “a response to any one event” and that the “inclusivity workshops” had been in the pipeline for months.

The brand later provided a statement to The Independent which explains that the sessions will including discussions relating, but are not limited to, gender identity, race and ethnicity, age, and abilities.

"Our entire organisation is excited to set aside this time to re-commit to building an environment of inclusion," a segment of its statement reads.

Following Sza’s experience, Rihanna – who launched her cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty in 2017 – sent a gift card and a handwritten note to the singer which Sza later posted a photograph of on her Instagram Story.

"Go buy yo’ Fenty Beauty in peace sis! One love, Rihanna," the note read.

Last year, Sza told Refinery29 that she previously worked in the skin-care department at a Sephora store.

Sephora’s diversity training comes a year after Starbucks closed its 8,000 company-owned US branches for an afternoon to carry out "racial bias" training.

The decision came after the firm apologised over the controversial arrest of two black men in a Starbucks in Philadelphia in May 2018. The move resulted in several members of the public calling for a boycott of the coffee chain.