In a surprising move, Google has decided to remove several key cultural observances from its online and mobile calendars, including Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Pride Month. This decision, which impacts the 2025 calendar, has raised concerns about the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Previously, Google’s calendar featured notable events such as Black History Month in February and Pride Month in June, but these observances are missing from the upcoming year. A spokesperson for Google, Madison Cushman Veld, explained that the removal was due to the challenges of maintaining a vast array of cultural holidays manually across multiple countries, making it “unsustainable” for their model.
The company had initially added these holidays to their platform years ago in an attempt to highlight a broader range of cultural moments worldwide. However, after receiving feedback about missing events, Google decided in mid-2024 to focus only on public holidays and national observances from timeanddate.com globally, leaving users to manually add other significant moments.
This move has been met with mixed reactions, with many users expressing disappointment on social media. For Nigerians living in the UK and those who follow cultural observances tied to their heritage, the absence of these holidays on the calendar could serve as a reminder of the growing challenges in advocating for diversity, especially with the recent trend of tech companies rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
Interestingly, while Google’s Calendar will no longer list these holidays, the company reassured users that its commitment to celebrating cultural events remains intact, citing continued promotions in other products such as YouTube Music, which still offers playlists for Black History Month.
For Nigerian communities in the UK, this change may feel like a missed opportunity to highlight important cultural moments. Now, to track and celebrate events like Black History Month or Pride Month, users will need to add them manually, reflecting the broader challenges of preserving cultural recognition in a globalized, tech-driven world.
As discussions around diversity in the workplace and the digital realm continue, it’s essential to remember the importance of maintaining cultural observances and supporting initiatives that celebrate the contributions of various communities. While Google’s decision may signal a shift in its approach, for many, the fight for diversity and inclusion remains ongoing.
For Nigerian job seekers and residents in the UK, navigating these cultural dynamics is critical, especially when it comes to ensuring that recognition and inclusion are part of the daily conversation in both the workplace and wider society.
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