Google eliminates the month of pride, the month of black history and other cultural celebrations of its official calendar, leaving only the national holidays and traditional celebrations visible. The company justifies its decision for organizational reasons, however, this announcement comes at a time of tension in which technological giants are reviewing their initiatives in the field of diversity and equity, feeding the debate on the possible conservative turn in the industry to support The decisions of the US president, Donald Trump.
The month of pride for Google Calendar is over
The same goes for February, labeled, Black History Month, the month of black history and African -American cultures; No more March: Women’s month, commemorate the discoveries made by women in history. They simply disappeared. According to Google, the decision is purely technical: manually update hundreds of anniversaries every year for different countries has become unsustainable. From mid -2024, the official calendar will only show the holidays and national celebrations provided by Timeanddate.com.
Google’s decision arrives at the same time in which other companies in the sector are going back to their diversity, inclusion and equity (DEI) programs. In recent years, Silicon Valley had invested in these programs, but political pressure has changed the rules. Google itself announced that it will stop imposing diversity objectives in hiring and will suspend specific training programs. The official reason is to adapt to the new norms imposed by the Trump administration. Apple is also reviewing some internal policies, while other giants avoid exposing themselves to feed political tensions.
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Google clarifies that it will continue to celebrate cultural events on other platforms. For example, the month of black history had its doodle in the search for Google and a selection of content on YouTube and Google TV. But the calendar, with specific festive dates, will be reduced.
The goal decision will affect the processes of contracting, training and selection of suppliers.
Apple follows Google Maps steps
Google Calendar’s change is not isolated. Last week, US users noticed that the Gulf of Mexico had a new name on Google Maps: Gulf of America. The change occurred after an executive order of Donald Trump officially changed the name in the federal database of the geographical name information system. Google implemented the new name for American users, but opted for a different strategy for the rest: in Mexico and the world, it will continue to appear as a Gulf of Mexico.
Apple Maps followed the same line, and according to Bloomberg, the change could extend to the entire globe. If it were only to reduce the event number in the calendar, the choice might seem neutral, but Some users have noticed that, while events such as the month of black history and the month of pride have disappeared, on October 12, the day of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, remains intact. The holiday has been the center of multiple controversies, since many consider it a symbol of colonization and of violence Towards the Native Americans. Some states and cities have replaced it with the day of indigenous peoples.
In the US, the day of the discovery of America is festive, and the fact that Google has maintained it feeds suspicions about the true motivations of change. In social networks, users talk about an attempt to “rewrite history”, others see in the choice a way to align with republican political pressure. Google insists that there is no hidden agenda, and that the decision is merely organizational.
The bay has been identified as the Gulf of Mexico for at least four centuries. The name is one of the oldest place names in the American continent.
A small change with a great impact
From a practical point of view, those who wish to celebrate the month of pride or the month of black history on Google Calendar can add them manually. However, what is angry at users is the intention of the giant to remove these dates and commemorations.
For years, the Big Tech They have given space to these celebrations, sending a clear sign of inclusion and representation. Now, however, they seem to be step back. Eliminating a calendar event does not erase its importance, but the perception of its value does change. And in 2025, in an increasingly attentive sector to political balances, each election counts.
Article originally published in Wired Italy. Adapted by Alondra Flores.
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