Ends ‘Race Together’
Starbucks ends the “Race Together” aspect of its broader campaign on race, meaning that baristas will no longer be writing “Race Together” on customers’ cups. Baristas complained that they barely had enough time to complete orders and that they were never even trained about the campaign before it launched. Starbucks is still going ahead with other parts of the initiative, including forums to discuss race and the hiring of 10,000 employees from diverse backgrounds to staff new stores in poor, urban areas. Schultz:
While there has been criticism of the initiative — and I know this hasn’t been easy for any of you — let me assure you that we didn’t expect universal praise…The promise of the American Dream should be available to every person in this country, not just a select few.