You Want to Badmouth Schultz? Watch Out...

So Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has caught flack and more flack for encouraging his baristas to write "Race Together" on their customers' cups in order to start conversations about race.

And sure, do Starbucks and USA Today need to take a look at their own boards? At their own c-suite members? At their own leadership? Absolutely. Without a doubt.

Along with 95% of the rest of the Fortune 500 companies.

But here's where I land on this topic: At least Schultz is doing something. At least he's taken SOME sort of action. A step forward.

I mean, here we are talking about it after all.

It's time for every large company to recognize (as Starbucks has) that they must assume their portion of responsibility for social change. After all, corporate America is a reflection of society.

We all know it's difficult to talk about race (look at the reaction Starbucks is getting). But if we never have these courageous conversations, nothing will ever change.

Schultz took a chance. He had a courageous conversation. We better watch how much we badmouth him. Or other white male CEOs won't even try.