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For the most part, large, publicly traded companies shy away from emotionally charged social issues, recognizing it is safest to take a neutral stance. But this week Starbucks has stepped out onto a ledge with its newest public campaign, which may be its riskiest yet. Starbucks is tackling race relations in the country. The company is not thinking small. Starbucks took out a full-page ad in the New York Times Sunday that reads "Shall we overcome?" in the center with "Race Together" at the bottom of the page. The ad may have cost more than $200,000. While this is not...

tarbucks is easy to make fun of on its best days, what with the pretentious names for everyday items, never mind the ridiculously high prices for those same everyday items. Even the cashiers have fancy monikers -- "barista." The snootiness is by design, of course. And you can make fun of it all you want; it's worked. Using many of the same techniques realtors have employed to hawk borderline tenements as unique gateways to the urban experience, Starbucks has managed to educate the consumer that it's OK to pay through the nose for what used to be a "cuppa joe."...

At Starbucks, we respect your heritage AND your order.

Starbucks admits that the initiative was birthed out of a company forum in which employees discussed racial tensions across America due to “police killing unarmed black men in Ferguson.”

You were saying, Starbucks? Dennis Miller - Just ordered a black coffee at Starbucks and was informed that "de-creamed" was the preferred term.~~~~~~~~~~~~With the best intentions, Starbucks recently launched a new campaign to get people talking about race. The campaign was promoted by their CEO Howard Schultz and involves a barista writing #RaceTogether on your morning cup of coffee and engaging you in a conversation about race relations.Now, that might’ve sounded like a good idea in the boardroom, but the reality is people aren’t at their best in the early morning before they’ve had their cup of the strong...

In honor of the the ill-informed Starbucks' #RaceTogether, we present now another idiot Republican who is further inflaming racial tensions. First, General, why are you still in the GOP? Second, yes, there is a "dark vein of intolerance" which is best shown by these pictures.

"It's also interesting because I'm actually black, but you assumed otherwise," Jay Smooth told Nancy Giles. Starbucks' campaign to get people talking about race has already birthed a very public, very cringeworthy conversation about race. Jay Smooth, a radio DJ and video blogger, was on MSNBC's All In With Chris Hayes Tuesday night, discussing the coffee company's "Race Together" campaign with fellow guest Nancy Giles, a contributor to CBS Sunday Morning. As they discussed the efficacy of a campaign like Race Together — with Giles defending it and Smooth pushing back — Hayes played one of Smooth's most popular videos,...

When you go to your local Starbucks, you expect a few things – mediocre coffee at an exorbitant price, unnecessarily complicated drink orders and a plethora of laptop users deeply engaged in finally writing that novel they’ve had knocking around in their head since they first gave up on their hopes and dreams, switching their major from Romantic Literature in the Era of Feminism to Medical Billing. What you don’t expect to encounter is a deep, burgeoning discussion about race. Starbucks CEO Howard Schulz has announced a new initiative (can you really call anything done at a coffee shop an...

<p>Reuters) - Starbucks Corp Chief Executive Howard Schultz has deftly navigated thorny issues such as gay marriage, gun control and Congressional gridlock, but his move to weigh in on U.S. race relations has brewed up a social media backlash.</p> <p>The world's biggest coffee chain kicked off the discussion when it published full-page ads in major U.S. newspapers earlier this week with the words "Shall We Overcome?" at center page and "RaceTogether" and the Starbucks logo near the bottom.</p>

Starbucks’ #racetogether campaign, in which baristas are instructed to begin conversations on race with customers, drew bipartisan mockery yesterday, to the point that a Starbucks executive had to shut down his Twitter account. But the Seattle coffee chain has two defenders, at least: Fox News hosts Brian Kilmeade and Eric Bolling. “I like this idea,” Bolling said on The Five last night, getting a double-take from Juan Williams. “I think it’s a great way to start the conversation. …Fantastic that they are going to take the discussion from behind the counter to the people.”

Starbucks' campaign aimed at encouraging people to talk about race relations in the U.S. is the latest example of a big company trying to tie its brands to big social issues. But the move, which has sparked backlash on social media, also illustrates how those efforts can fall flat if customers don't see a clear correlation between the cause and the company's products. U.S. workers for the coffee chain that is best known for its Frappuccinos have been told to write "Race Together" on cups. The company also plans to start publishing "conversation guides" on the topic, with questions like...

Twitter has ruthlessly mocked Starbucks campaign for the company's new anti-racism campaign in which baristas talk to customers about race issues while serving their coffee. One user tweeted, 'I don't have time to explain 400 years of oppression to you & still make my train', while another pointed out, 'y'all realize there are no coloured hands in the press photos right'. A third speculated, 'maybe Starbucks actually wanted to get people of all races & ethnicities to join hands and make fun'.

A Google News search at 3 p.m. Eastern Time today for stories published in March about "Eva Carmichael" (in quotes; sorted by date) returned only 11 items. Who is Eva Carmichael? She is a 94 year-old woman who was murdered in Meridian, Mississippi on March 1. Based on the complete lack of press coverage outside of the immediate area, it's reasonable to believe that the nation's journalists don't think, in the popular parlance, that "her life mattered" all that much. And why is that? A March 6 Meridian Star story (HT to NewsBusters commenter "noncom") reported that "Four teenagers have...

Cameron Gray ✔ @Cameron_Gray It’s working great RT @beingbrina: Nopes 🙅 to #RaceTogether. But @starbucks I fixed your hashtag #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/Y4SOfgQXdZ Well, evidently the Starbucks #RaceTogether campaign wasn’t just a topic of hilarious ridicule (and a major press photo oopsie). It also wasn’t quite good enough for some:

Starbucks is in hot water after launching a new campaign that encourages baristas to talk about race relations with customers. Critics have been lashing out at the company on social media, saying Starbucks is trying to capitalize on racial tension in the US. Following the backlash, Starbucks' senior vice president of communications Corey duBrowa appears to have deleted his Twitter account, which has only added to critics' outrage.

Fail, indeed. And not just due to the rightful ridicule that Starbucks has already received for its absurd “Race Together” campaign. You see, it got worse when this happened: y'all realize there are no coloured hands in the press photos right @Starbucks #RaceTogether

Would you like some tolerance with that cappuccino? Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced a new PR campaign for the world’s largest coffee shop chain, in which employees are encouraged to serve up chats about race relations to customers. “We at Starbucks should be willing to talk about these issues in America," Schultz said in a corporate release on Monday announcing the “Race Together” campaign. Starting on Monday, Starbucks baristas are being asked to write “Race Together” on coffee cups they hand to customers, as an invitation to talk to them about race.

Once upon a time, the coffee chain represented hope that record-buying could remain a physical experience for most people. What happens when it stops selling CDs? Starbucks will stop selling CDs at the end of the month, and it isn't hip to cry about it. Last week's news that the coffee chain would do away with its register-side racks was met on Twitter with many a condolence to Norah Jones's career; at Vulture, Lindsey Weber mock-mourned, “Oh no, how will we know what adult contemporary stations are playing without having to listen to the radio?”

The Starbucks (SBUX) CEO called out former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for questioning President Obama's "love" for his country. "As an American, I find Rudy Giuliani's vicious comments about President Obama 'not loving America' to be profoundly offensive to both the President and the Office," Schultz said in a statement. Giuliani caused a political stir this week with his remarks about Obama at a dinner event featuring Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, in a speech first reported by Politico. He said he didn't believe Obama "loves America."