By Hai Ting Tan

Columnist

With the past months’ racial demonstrations ignited by the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, it seems as though we have not come as far from the ‘60s as we thought. In light of the controversy, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz created the “Race Together” campaign, in which employees engage with customers regarding topic of race.

Throughout the campaign, Starbucks baristas will have the option of serving customers with cups on which they have written the words “Race Together,” and then starting a discussion with the customer. USA Today, partnering with Starbucks for this initiative, will print information about race relations, including a variety of perspectives on race, and then distribute the inserts then at Starbucks coffee shops.

Despite its positive objective, the campaign has recently fell victim to widespread vitriol and derision. It not only became a trending topic on social media, but also drew criticism and skepticism from media outlets. The online attacks eventually led Corey duBrowa, senior vice president for global communication at Starbucks, to temporarily delete his Twitter account.

Schultz ultimately had positive intentions when introducing this campaign, thinking that he could put an end to racial disputes in our diverse country by creating the opportunity to learn about people and cultures different from our own. However, as many Twitter users and media outlets have pointed out, it is ironic for Starbucks to attempt to carry out a racially focused anti-discrimination campaign when the company’s leadership is predominantly white, with only 40 percent of its employees being of a minority, according to Fortune magazine. Schultz’s heart was in the right place, but he failed to put much thought into the implementation of the initiative.

Realistically speaking, most Starbucks customers have no interest in engaging in any conversations with baristas – let alone a discussion about race. The morning crowd at Starbucks is usually en route to somewhere else, craving caffeine and rushed for time. 

Hofstra’s campus, although predominantly white, can be considered relatively diverse and could potentially be a good place to carry out such a campaign. Hofstra is an academic community that fosters intellectual discusion. Starbucks is not. While an important discussion, it is not one to have over scones and coffee.

The views and opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section are those of the authors of the articles. They are not an endorsement of the views of The Chronicle or its staff. The Chronicle does not discriminate based on the opinions of the authors.