 Rather than thinking about the best practices that might foster a productive discussion about race, the company executives thought best to just sort of tell everyone to figure it out without providing any educational resources, training, or guidelines whatsoever. In a letter to employees, Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz stated that he conceived of the idea, quote, not to point fingers and not because we have answers, but because staying silent is not who we are. How to be less stupid about race by Crystal Fleming.