The multi-trillion-dollar company Google, founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin removed its DEI holidays from online and mobile calendars. Those holidays include Black History Month, Women’s History Month, LBTQAI+ holidays, Indigenous Peoples’ Month and many more. Google previously supported DEI efforts, they were in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the Grow with Google Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Career Readiness Program, was a way for Google to support Black students interested in entering the job market post grad. Google partnered with many HBCUs across the country ensuring that Black students developed important digital skills to secure internships and jobs that would aid them in being successful. At the time, Google committed $1 million to HBCU career service centers across the country to be distributed by TMCF. Now, as they have decided to roll back DEI efforts their commitment is unknown.
Google is the largest search engine in the world. Google spokesperson Madison Cushman Veld told the Guardian that the listed holidays that were removed were no longer “sustainable” for their models. The statement also said, “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.” Veld stated that in 2024, the company went back to only showing public holidays and national observances. The start of President Trumps second term heavily influenced Googles decision to roll back its DEI efforts, including Google’s commitment to support DEI in their workplace.
President Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and changing the mountain in Alaska from Denali to Mount McKinley. Google followed these orders and users have seen the name changes on their digital devices. In an email to the Guardian, Google reassured that although changes on the calendar no longer reflect DEI efforts, it will not affect Google Doodles, which are unique, temporary changes to the Google homepage logo. The changes are created to reflect holidays, anniversaries of significant events, important dates, and to celebrate the birthdays of notable people. The doodles are artistic and interactive allowing users to see a playful twist on the usual Google logo. In a statement, Google said “Google continues to actively celebrate and promote cultural moments as a company in our products.”
Many are upset as Google has rolled back its DEI efforts on their calendar, it is hurting Black people and the Black community as a whole, and others who take pride in being recognized when the company celebrates important events for the culture. Google has made promises in the past to support diversity and inclusion (DEI), so removing these holidays, celebrations might make people feel like they are no longer valued. For Black communities, and others it can feel like a step backward, as these moments helped honor their history and achievements.
