Google Calendar Removes Diverse Events

By Akayliah Jones

Google calendar is seeing some compelling changes to its calendar sparking controversy. Many calendar listings that represent diversity aren’t being included, leading social media users to ask why? Black History month, Women’s History month, Pride month, have all been scrubbed from the popular calendar. As we embark on the fourth week of the Trump presidency much of the United States is overwhelmed by the changes that have already come to play. One upsetting us is cuts to DEI.

DEI is shorthand for diversity equity and inclusion. The policy fabric came into the picture in late 1965. At the height of many long awaited civil rights movements wins. Lyndon Johnson, commander and chief at the time, signed into law a few executive orders that began what we know today as DEI. At the time the laws worked to get employers to hire without much thought on “race, religion and national origin” and taking “affirmative action” to help workers have proper treatment.

DEI promotes policies designed to advance equity in various organizations across the nation. A vast amount of guidelines fall under this umbrella. A few are military service, ethnicity, abilities, age, language or communication barriers, sexuality, and more. Its main purpose is to form open minded, unprejudiced, and accessibility and nondiscriminatory in many arenas of both public and private life.

Political dialogue on DEI initiatives is far from new. How has the conversation evolved? In the 21st century it is well documented that corporations such as Google have developed creative ways to pursue these DEI goals. Many argue that such strategies do not actually solve the problems they so desperately try to remedy. Many also claim that the policies have expired as their need in a diverse modern society, post Jim Crow era. Another common pushback is that these rules are reversing progress made towards an equal society.

As backlash carries on, DEI policies and their effectiveness will continue to be in the spotlight. Google still allows users to manually add on the various events no longer automatically featured. Ultimately, the future of DEI will depend on the willingness of policymakers, community networks and organizations who choose to uphold- or reverse these initiatives.