Starbucks Urges Baristas To Discuss Race Relations With Customers

(RTTNews) - Sensing a breakdown in race relations in the United States, coffee giant Starbucks is taking a potentially risky step to facilitate conversation on the topic.

CEO Howard Schultz, noted for his liberal outlook and political activism, is explicitly urging the baristas at the company's 4,700 U.S. locations to discuss race relations with customers.

Starbucks today launched its Race Together initiative with full-page ads in The New York Times and USA Today.

In light of racial unrest in Ferguson, New York City and elsewhere, "We at Starbucks should be willing to talk about these issues in America," Schultz said according to a company blog post. "Not to point fingers or to place blame, and not because we have answers, but because staying silent is not who we are."

There's no telling whether Starbucks customers will be comfortable with a politically-charged atmosphere in stores where the issue is brought up.

Race Together is not a solution, Schultz acknowledged, "but it is an opportunity to begin to re-examine how we can create a more empathetic and inclusive society - one conversation at a time."