Starbucks Wants to #RaceTogether to Discuss Race Relations in Stores
In the near future, when you visit a Starbucks coffeehouse, a barista may hand you your favorite beverage with a side of conversation on race relations in America for a new company campaign called Race Together.
CEO Howard Schultz was moved to do something in his stores to further the conversation about these tough issues and to create greater widespread empathy among people. In the past several months, protesters have marched in the streets of cities from Ferguson to New York City, shouting #BlackLivesMatter in response to the countless deaths that plague the lives of Black Americans daily.
Partners at Starbucks based in New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Oakland and Los Angeles began writing "Race Together" on Starbucks cups after attending the forums to bring awareness to their customers. The rest of the U.S. stores will now follow suit with similar action. Some baristas will give out "Race Together" stickers to customers to break the ice on these conversations.
#RaceTogether is an extension of an initial step Schultz took in December 2014, when he held a forum with employees to discuss the current racial climate. “Despite the raw emotion around the events and their underlying racial issues, we at Starbucks should be willing to talk about them internally," Schultz said in a letter sent throughout his company.
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(Photo: Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
