Last Updated:
5/29/21 2:13 PM
overall rating:
do better
Michaels
Internal Representation & Support
31%
Public Commitment
31%
External Communication
56%
To evaluate this pillar, we take into consideration a range of factors, including but not limited to:
- Employee representation
- Diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI)
We weigh a company’s degree of public commitment primarily on their monetary contributions to DEI matters or organizations fighting racial injustice.
Forms of monetary support we look for:
One-off donations
Recurring donations
Grant initiatives
Employee donation matching
Highlights
Michaels features Black makers and artists on their Instagram, as well as many small Black-owned businesses during Black History Month and Juneteenth. Michaels created a marketspace on their website dedicated to Black inclusivity during Black History Month, where a portion of the profits was donated to Management Leadership for Tomorrow. Although the amount donated is unspecified, Michaels also donated Catalyst and the Boys & Girls Clubs’ LGBTQ+ Initiative.
Lowlights
Michaels' social media content is lacking in both quantity and quality. Their few social or racial justice related posts are for briefly featuring their Black makers and artist, as opposed to any educational content. Michaels also has no workforce demographics available to the public despite their statement of openly working towards racial justice.
We scour the company’s website and official social media channels to determine what message they are sending around racial injustice, how they are communicating it, and whether their communications are perceived as genuine or performative.
Public statement: We verify that companies have made a formal statement regarding racial injustice.
Social media: We consider how a company uses their platform(s) beyond performative allyship.
Representation: For companies that have the opportunity to showcase diversity in their feed, we consider whether they have adequate Black representation and BIPOC representation across their models.
Looking for an equitable brand as a replacement? Click here to see our directory!
Deep Dive
I. Internal Representation & Support:
Board of Directors:
11% - 20% Women
Executive Leadership:
8% - 9% Black, 16% - 20% BIPOC, 21% - 25% Women
Information not publicly available
Workforce:
An appointed DEI senior leader and/or a dedicated DEI organization, A Black employee resource group
DEI Support:
II. Public Commitment
Michaels has pledged a donation of Unspecified contribution amount towards BIPOC communities as a whole (has not specified donations towards Black lives). Additionally, Michaels has engaged in actions that advance racial justice and/or uplift BIPOC communities, such as sponsorship of individuals who use their platform to speak out on racial injustice.
III. External Communications
Michaels has issued a public statement, both on social media and in a public memo, addressing racial injustice that acknowledged that they can be doing better to combat racial inequality within their company. However, it did not include specific calls to action or explicitly state "Black Lives Matter." Since June 2020, 0.1% - 9% of the brand's social media content has been centered around racial injustice with posts seeming performative in nature. While the brand does not feature models regularly in their social media posts, they have shown support of the LGBTQ+ community beyond Pride on social media but there is little to no evidence of inclusivity towards other marginalized communities.
