Google Calendar has removed Black History Month, Pride Month, Women’s History Month, and other cultural events from its calendar, a move that has drawn criticism amid concerns about the wider rollback of diversity commitments in the tech industry.
The decision means that users who previously relied on Google Calendar to track these events will now have to add them manually. The company has justified the change by stating that maintaining a global list of cultural observances was not “scalable or sustainable.” Instead, Google has opted to restrict its calendar to public holidays and national observances listed by the website timeanddate.com.
The change was first reported last week, with many users expressing frustration that these significant dates had quietly disappeared from their calendars. Google defended its decision, explaining that it had previously attempted to include a broad set of cultural dates but faced difficulties ensuring consistent representation across different countries.
The timing of this decision has fuelled speculation about whether it is linked to broader political shifts. Since Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency, his administration has moved swiftly to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including banning DEI programs at the federal level. Google recently announced that it would scale back its own diversity hiring goals, citing the need to comply with new government policies.
While Google insists that the calendar change is unrelated to political pressures, the decision has been widely interpreted as part of a trend among major corporations distancing themselves from DEI initiatives. Critics argue that this is yet another example of tech companies quietly reversing commitments to inclusivity in response to right-wing political pressure.
Many users have taken to social media to voice their frustration, with some accusing Google of aligning itself with anti-DEI policies. Posts on Google’s Calendar Help page show users expressing anger over the erasure of these dates, with some demanding the reinstatement of the removed events.
Google has responded by pointing out that users can still manually add cultural observances or subscribe to third-party calendars that include them. The company has also clarified that the change will not affect Google Doodles, the homepage illustrations that mark significant historical and cultural events. Google stated that it remains committed to celebrating these moments through its other products, such as YouTube Music’s Black History Month playlists.
This is not the first time Google has made changes to align with shifting political landscapes. The company has also announced that it will revert to using “Mount McKinley” instead of “Denali” for Alaska’s highest peak and will rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” for US-based users. Both changes align with Trump administration directives.
