AN UPDATE ON OUR PROGRESS

The last 24 hours have been filled with a lot of news impacting the communities we serve. It is only fitting that as we share our E&B quarterly update, we address what is happening in the world. Now more than ever, our collective work toward an equal and just society is required on all fronts. 

As Atlanta’s Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said last evening in light of the horrific shootings that impacted the AAPI community, “A crime against any community is a crime against us all.” At the same time, the LGBTQ+ community is defending the progress they have made to provide equal rights. So, as the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held the first-ever hearing on the Equality Act, legislation that Gap Inc. has proudly supported from the start, let us hold onto hope and never relent. We cannot be complacent when it comes to inclusivity. We need to lean on each other, create space to experience the grief and other emotions that accompany these events, and push forward arm in arm. 

While we strive to live our purpose, Inclusive, by Design, it is also essential to reflect on the progress we’ve made and the work still ahead. Here is a recent note I shared with my team:  

It’s hard to believe that this month last year was my last time physically reporting into the office. I would have never imagined that what was soon to follow would be nothing short of a watershed moment for our nation, our organization, and our communities. Our collective consciousness received a massive call to action last year to address to what many describe as two global pandemics: COVID-19 and Systemic Racism – and we responded. In the middle of a global crisis and economic turndown, we leveraged our platform and the voice of our people to commit to a better future for all.

Since releasing our 2025 Commitments to Change, we have quickly mobilized teams, architected short and long-term strategies, and have launched into action against our nine commitments across Employee, Customer and Community Belonging.

Employee Belonging: We have made significant headway in building trust and consciousness –– continuing our listening sessions, anti-racism learning journey, internal community building, and balancing the precision of data with the nuance and complexity of human testimony to evaluate our culture and talent practices further.

Customer Belonging: We have embarked on our collective (and individual) learning journeys to evolve our product and customer experience to embrace a more diverse set of people. We are moving beyond stand-alone ‘inclusive products’ towards a holistic process where inclusive design principles are integrated into the rhythms of the business, and our entire line is intentionally planned, designed, assorted, and marketed with inclusion in mind. This is our path to fostering a sense of belonging for all people who shop our brands today and those who we hope to attract to our brands in the future.

Community Belonging: We’ve been focused on assessing and optimizing our strategic partner network and identifying the intersection points across our portfolio – allowing us to leverage our towering strengths to influence policy, expand access and drive economic inclusion.

This update represents the positive and necessary early steps in the change journey, but we must continue to reimagine and rewire the system for our impact to match our ambition. This work has no simple answers, so we’re taking immediate action where possible and then acquiring knowledge, deep understanding, and skill to help drive the more complex work forward.

While there is significant work still to do, we want to thank you, particularly our Equality & Belonging Groups, Color Proud Council and numerous project teams across the business, for the continued daily efforts and long-term focus that keep us moving toward our goals.

We encourage everyone to bookmark gapinc.com for easy reference and regular updates on progress, activations and collaborations happening across our brands and functions.

Kisha Modica 
Head of Equality & Belonging

OUR COMMITMENTS

We can – and we will – do more to be a force for good and break down the centuries-old systems that have held back our Black and Brown communities. Take a look at our commitments and progress to drive systemic change and enable a culture of belonging for our teams, customers, and future generations.

OUR LEARNING JOURNEY

This work is a movement – not a moment – and we’re here to listen and learn along the way. And what better way to bring our journey to life than through the experiences of our employees.

READ MORE STORIES FROM EMPLOYEES

Being an Ally 

Dave Clarke, Head of Gap Finance

Dave is the Executive Sponsor for the AAPI Equality & Belonging Group, ASIA (Asian Supporting Inclusion and Awareness). The experience has been incredibly insightful for him as a Senior Leader in the organization and an ally. He made space for others to educate him on the Asian-American community's issues and concerns, the insidious implications of the Model Minority Myth, and the opportunity to increase Asian representation at higher levels. 

“More recently, our group has become more and more concerned with the dramatic increase in harassment, hate crimes, and violence directed toward Asian-Americans. As an ally, it was important for me to stand by this community and create space for employees to feel safe and share what they are going through. ASIA hosted a Safe Space Conversation with the AAPI community and their allies, a platform to build meaningful connections and create unity across all communities. I expressed my horror and concern for the safety of my colleagues and their families. As a leader, I have an obligation to create awareness and a sense of belonging among our teams and the communities we serve. Being an Executive Sponsor for ASIA means I am committed to supporting ASIA and all of our Equality & Belonging groups."

Creating Space for Conversation

Maria Febre, Head of Employee Belonging

Maria is one of the founding members of ASIA and now serves as the head of Employee Belonging overseeing all Equality & Belonging Groups (EBGs) at Gap Inc. and workplace inclusion. As an immigrant who moved to the United States to live the American dream, the attacks on the Asian American communities hit home for her personally and professionally. 

“In moments like this, we are faced with the reminder that racism continues to exist – whether visible or invisible, it exists. And though we can choose to ignore what we see and move on with business as usual, we simply can’t and must do more and at Gap Inc. we did just that. To further support the AAPI communities, Gap Inc. and our brands donated a total of $100,000 to two community initiatives: Stop AAPI Hate  and National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (CAPACD). Each organization uses its platforms to provide advocacy and deliver direct services to the most vulnerable AAPI community members. Beyond the donation, we will also be working with each organization to build a long-term partnership to help support the AAPI community.” 

Old Navy's Project WE

Project WE, is an ongoing series within Old Navy of graphic tees designed by diverse artists to imagine a more inclusive world through art. Project WE kicked off in honor of Black History Month with artist and author Reyna Noriega. For International Women’s Day, Old Navy partnered with Jade Purple Brown to create a tee in the good name of all the sisters, besties, girl groups, and lady communes. 

Shop the ongoing collection