You have to give Howard Schultz credit. The CEO of Starbucks has turned the tradition of a morning cup of coffee into an experience that is both culturally iconic and profitable.
Along the way, Schultz has taken on social and political issues. Starbucks asks customers not to bring guns into their shops, even if the state has an “open carry” law. The company also supports the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Now he is taking Starbucks into the sensitive issue of race relations with RACE TOGETHER, which Schultz describes as an effort to “stimulate conversation, compassion and action around race in America.”
Part of the campaign includes encouraging the Starbucks baristas to engage customers in conversations about race, telling his employees in a video that the subject is not too hot to handle.
“I reject that. I reject that completely,” he said. “It’s an emotional issue, but it is so vitally important in this country.”
But do customers impatiently waiting for their espresso macchiato really want to open a dialog about the Ferguson grand jury finding there was not probable cause to indict officer Darren Wilson or why U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas opposes remedies for historical racial inequality?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the deep-thinking former NBA star, doesn’t think so, though he admires Schultz for wanting to have the discussion.
“Most of the customers at Starbucks probably don’t want to have their political awareness challenged by the person foaming their coffee,” Abul-Jabbar wrote in Time magazine. “Minds are more likely to be changed by someone with some form of expertise in the subject, which baristas generally don’t have.”
That may be selling Starbucks employees short, 40 percent of whom are minorities. In fact, working stiffs from diverse backgrounds musing over a cup of coffee probably have a better chance understanding each other than those who attend yet another university panel on “Race in America.”
What if the middle-aged white executive spent some time chatting with a 19-year-old black or Hispanic barista? But the experience at Starbucks is about excellent coffee and efficient service. Common courtesy dictates pleasantries in conversation and not much more.
Schultz is right that we need to talk more about race and that there is power in civil discourse. He deserves credit for risking a challenge to the norm. However, serious discussions about race are high-risk high-reward propositions.
Trying to engage in a meaningful dialog while the milk is being steamed for the latte may not be the best time.