**Google Omits Cultural and Identity-Based Holidays from Default Calendar**

Google has altered its default Google Calendar, eliminating various cultural and identity-based holidays. This choice has drawn criticism, as it occurs against a backdrop of growing concerns regarding the company’s recent product updates and a perceived retreat from diversity initiatives.

### **Holidays Excluded from Google Calendar**
The holidays impacted include:

– **Black History Month** (Feb. 1 – March 1)
– **Women’s History Month** (March 1 – 31)
– **Pride Month** (June 1 – 30)
– **Jewish American Heritage Month** (May 1 – 31)
– **Holocaust Remembrance Day** (Jan. 27)
– **National Hispanic Heritage Month** (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15)
– **Indigenous Peoples Month** (Nov. 1 – 30)

These holidays were previously incorporated into Google Calendar through a collaboration with TimeAndDate.com over recent years.

### **Google’s Justification**
Google claims that the choice to eliminate these holidays has been developing for months. The company indicated that it is now prioritizing public holidays and national observances exclusively.

“For over ten years, we’ve collaborated with [TimeAndDate.com](http://timeanddate.com) to showcase public holidays and national observances in Google Calendar,” explained Google spokesperson Madison Cushman Veld. “Years ago, the Calendar team began adding a wider variety of cultural moments on a global scale manually. However, we received feedback indicating that some events and nations were overlooked, and sustaining hundreds of moments manually worldwide was not feasible. Therefore, in mid-2024, we reverted to displaying only public holidays and national observances from TimeAndDate.com, allowing users to add other significant moments manually.”

### **Public Outcry**
Regardless of Google’s rationale, numerous users have voiced their discontent, accusing the company of censoring its offerings. Conversations on [Google’s Help forums](https://support.google.com/calendar/thread/322570334/why-is-pride-month-removed-from-the-google-calendar?hl=en) and social media channels have been rife with criticism.

“@Google please revert this,” one user on X (formerly Twitter) [implored](https://x.com/theteapolice/status/1889200595480814065). “These holiday months deserve recognition. Our government is attempting to erase them—please don’t enable this. I understand it may be logistically challenging, but it is critical. Please think again.”

### **Google’s Recent Contentious Actions**
This choice follows other contentious moves by Google, such as its quick agreement with President Donald Trump’s relabeling of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” Furthermore, the company recently [terminated its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring program](https://mashable.com/article/google-dei-trump-diversity-equity-program-cancelled) along with other DEI efforts.

Other prominent tech firms have taken similar steps. For instance, [Meta](https://mashable.com/article/mark-zuckerberg-meta-meeting-trump-policy-changes) has eliminated its DEI programs and its Hateful Conduct policy, permitting previously prohibited hate speech back onto its platforms.

### **How to Add These Holidays Manually**
For those who wish to keep recognizing these observances, here are the dates for manual addition to your personal calendar:

– **Holocaust Remembrance Day** – Jan. 27
– **Black History Month** – Feb. 1 to March 1
– **Women’s History Month** – March 1-31
– **Jewish American Heritage Month** – May 1-31
– **Pride Month** – June 1-30
– **National Hispanic Heritage Month** – Sept. 15 to Oct. 15
– **Indigenous Peoples Month** – Nov. 1-30

While Google asserts that this alteration was made for logistical purposes, many users continue to be doubtful, viewing it as part of a larger trend of companies retracting diversity-related initiatives.