Google Calendar has removed the dates for Black History Month, Pride Month, and Women’s History Month. The change, which affects February, March, and June, was described by the company as a long-overdue update.
A Google spokesperson explained the decision to PinkNews, stating: “Some years ago, the Calendar team started manually adding a broader set of cultural moments in a wide number of countries around the world. We got feedback that some other events and countries were missing — and maintaining hundreds of moments manually and consistently globally wasn’t scalable or sustainable.
“So in mid-2024 we returned to showing only public holidays and national observances from timeanddate.com globally, while allowing users to manually add other important moments.”
The change aligns with a broader shift among major corporations as they move away from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Google has ended its goals for recruiting staff from minority groups, joining companies like Amazon and Meta in scaling back DEI policies. This comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to “end the onslaught of useless and overpaid DEI activists.”
Additionally, Google Maps recently renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in response to Trump’s order, though the name change will only be visible within the United States, according to the BBC.
Other major brands, including Walmart, Ford, Lowe’s, Harley-Davidson, and Jack Daniel’s, have also rolled back DEI programs following a campaign led by right-wing commentator Robby Starbuck. McDonald’s recently announced similar changes, though Apple’s board of directors has resisted this trend, urging shareholders to vote against a proposal to end equality initiatives.
The removal of cultural observances from Google Calendar has sparked debate, with critics arguing that it diminishes recognition for historically marginalized groups, while supporters claim it simplifies calendar management and ensures neutrality.