Courtney, a seven-month barista in a Starbucks in downtown San Francisco, says he put on the “Race Together” sticker offered by his manager on Monday. The campaign — in which servers are supposed to scribble the phrase on your disposable coffee cup to start a coffeehouse chat about America’s third-rail topic — has, in fact, mainly sparked a conversation about the awkward impositions corporations make on employees.

Courtney, though, is joining in. He moved from Texarkana, Arkansas, a month and a half ago, and he’s black, “so race means more to me than most people in California.” Only two baristas here are wearing the stickers, he says, and no one on his shift has been writing it on the cups yet. “We haven’t, but we’re allowed to.”

So why’d you wear the sticker?

“It’s like… create a conversation and see where it goes. Our manager has told us to promote it as much as possible without forcing it on someone.”

Can it make a difference in the race question?

“Truth be — I’ll be honest with you — the race and equality and stuff isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. This right here,” he gestures to the sticker on his green smock, “is just showing that one person out of a billion can truthfully make a difference if they want to… It’s just putting your mind to it and sticking to it, and not be afraid of the backlash and what someone has to say, or what someone might think.”

And has anyone asked you about it?

“You’re the first person.”

No one has brought it up?

“No! I actually wanted to!”