Did Starbucks relax its ban on employees visibly supporting political causes at work to permit support of Black Lives Matter?
In the aftermath of the national wave of protests following the death of George Floyd, Starbucks sent an internal memo to employees reminding them of a company policy against wearing buttons or pins that express political messaging, including Black Lives Matter paraphernalia. The memo was obtained by BuzzFeed. The company has not publicly acknowledged their previous guidance and has since taken down a video of an executive explaining opposition to public Black Lives Matter support in stores.
Starbucks on June 12 posted a new message in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. It said it will make new t-shirts for employees to wear supporting Black Lives Matter. Until the shirts arrive, employees will be allowed to wear pins or t-shirts in support of Black Lives Matter. "Just be you," the message said.
