Starbucks Coffee’s #RaceTogether campaign to get customers talking about race relations in America has hit a rough patch.
After a tirade of negative press and harsh criticism on social media this week, Starbucks CEO and chairman Harold Schultz defended the company’s efforts at its annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday, saying that the company will continue to roll out the year-long campaign with its partner, USA Today. This Friday, the newspaper will begin distributing leaflets with each copy, which include suggestions for conversation starters, such as “How have your racial views evolved from those of your parents?” and “What is America’s greatest race challenge?”
Schultz explained in a video about the campaign that the idea came from employees who spoke out during company forums that were held in the wake of protests in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City, after unarmed black men were killed at the hands of police.
The company appears genuine in their desire to get more people to acknowledge the realities of racial inequality in this country. But the overwhelming dissent toward the campaign indicates the public isn’t buying it. So what exactly went wrong?
