Coffee giant Starbucks has called off its newest campaign aimed at increasing conversations about race in America.
Baristas will no longer write "Race Together" on the brand's coffee cups as of March 22.
The controversial initiative was met with nearly universal criticism, although a Starbucks representative maintained that the cancellation was not due to the blowback.
"Nothing is changing," spokesman Jim Olson asserted. "It's all part of the cadence of the timeline we originally planned." His statements echoed a memo released by CEO Howard Schultz on Sunday.
"This initiative is far from over," he wrote. "We have a number of planned Race Together activities in the weeks and months to come...
"While there has been criticism of the initiative - and I know this hasn't been easy for any of you - let me assure you that we didn't expect universal praise. The heart of Race Together has always been about humanity: the promise of the American Dream should be available to every person in this country, not just a select few."
Some accused the coffee chain of trying to position themselves as more culturally aware, in order to increase profits. Others commended Starbucks for attempting to push the conversation about race forward, but questioned their methods.
"For the many and varied reasons people choose to work at Starbucks, a managerial command to talk to customers about race seems highly unlikely," Philip Terzian wrote in the Weekly Standard. "Race, and intimations of racism, are not the same as talking about sports or the weather: People lose their livelihood, and lives are blighted, by racial discourse."
In addition to writing "Race Together" on coffee cups, baristas were also allowed to start racial conversations by handing out "Race Together" stickers. The campaign rolled out last Monday in Starbucks stores nationwide.
