When I think of Starbucks, I think of stores that are about as diverse as the NY Times Editorial Board, Organizing For America, and all manners of typical liberal groups. In other words, not much
(Washington Post) In partnership with USA Today, Starbucks has launched a week-long campaign under the banner “Race Together†to get staff and customers talking about race. In a video message, Schultz urges “partners†to write the phrase on their paper cups “to facilitate a conversation between you and our customers.†A USA Today supplement, set to be published March 20, includes a number of “conversation starters,†including the fill-in-the-blank question: “In the past year, I have been to the home of someone of a different race ___ times.â€
The idea for “Race Together†apparently came from employee forums Schultz launched last December. The first was impromptu, inspired by the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner and the conversations about racial inequality that surrounded them. It went so well, Schultz said, that the company organized similar events in five other cities.
“At the end of every open forum partners have come up to me and said ‘We must do more,’†Schultz said in his video. “… The fact that you have asked me, encouraged me, is why I have so much faith that this is the right decision for our company.â€
I know Glenn Beck was talking about this on the radio (I saw the story earlier in the AM), telling people to go in to the stores. I’d suggest you ask why there are so few Starbucks in Black urban areas. But, hey, nothing like a discussion of race inside a lilly white coffee shop, eh? And getting nagged. No biggee for me, I stopped going to Starbucks and other premium coffee shops years ago, realizing how much money I was pissing away.
The Washington Post provides a few tweets for context
https://twitter.com/NewaHailu/status/577718920448086016
https://twitter.com/vidalwuu/status/577731504501055488
But, let’s remember that Starbucks is a private company, and can do what they want. They’ve already alienated legal gun owners and those who support traditional marriage. Of course, if Starbucks really wanted to talk about race they’d move their corporate headquarters from one of the Whitest cities in America to someplace like Detroit, Birmingham, or Baltimore. Or, hey, how about Ferguson!
Kemberlee Kaye at Legal Insurrection: Schultz’s efforts seem noble, but might be viewed as more legitimate were his reasons for entering the contentious race arena not predicated on blatant falsehoods and astroturfed race hustling.
Stephen Kruiser: They’re ruining sports for me. Now they’re ruining coffee. If Archer does a “very special episode†about global warming, I’m outta here.
