Users of Google Calendar have recently noticed the absence of cultural observances such as Black History Month and Women’s History Month on the popular app. This led to an online backlash from some who perceived it as a political move, as other tech companies have faced criticism for bias in their products and policies. However, Google stated that it removed these observances last year due to scalability and sustainability issues, rather than political reasons.
The controversy comes in the wake of Google’s elimination of diversity goals in response to President Trump’s executive orders, as well as changes to map applications renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. In addition, Google executives announced they would stop offering diversity training programs and update other training efforts with D.E.I. content.
Although Google Calendar now only displays observances from timeanddate.com, users can still add other cultural events manually. Some users have criticized Google’s explanation, pointing out that Columbus Day is still marked on the calendar, while others see the changes as an attempt to rewrite history or appeal to Mr. Trump.
Despite the controversy, Google has continued to celebrate and promote cultural moments through other products. For example, the company marked Black History Month with an animation on its search page and a YouTube playlist, as well as observing Lunar New Year with a search doodle and curated movie collection on Google TV. The company remains committed to showcasing cultural diversity while addressing concerns over its calendar changes.
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