Recently, the acknowledgement of persisting inequalities has plagued the nation. In an attempt to encourage discussion regarding racial divides and compassion towards others, Starbucks launched an initiative entitled Race Together.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz described in a letter to Starbucks’ partners that the “Race Together” project sought to encourage sympathy and compassion amongst people, regardless of their race. For a brief period of time, baristas wrote or put a sticker saying Race Together on customers’ cups. However, the specific phase ended on March 22nd following widespread criticism.

“I think its a good thing on behalf of Starbucks,” junior Gustavo Altuve said. “Even if a coffee shop is not the ideal place for an actual discussion on race, at least Starbucks is trying to raise more awareness.”

The company aims to continue with planned Race Together activities such as increasing partner open forums, collaborating with U.S.A Today to produce three more special sections over the course of the next year, and stimulating increasingly open conversations with police and community leaders across the United States. Starbucks also plans to hire 10,000 opportunity youth over the next three years in an attempt to further encourage jobs and education for the nation’s youth, expanding stores in urban communities, and forming new partnerships to help eliminate the racial and ethnic divides.