Xuenou > Featured > After Facing Intense Backlash, Jeannie Mai Jenkins Has Apologized For Excluding Pacific Islanders At An Event Celebrating Asians And PIs
After Facing Intense Backlash, Jeannie Mai Jenkins Has Apologized For Excluding Pacific Islanders At An Event Celebrating Asians And PIs
After Facing Intense Backlash, Jeannie Mai Jenkins Has Apologized For Excluding Pacific Islanders At An Event Celebrating Asians And PIs,"Incredibly thankful to continue learning & growing."

After Facing Intense Backlash, Jeannie Mai Jenkins Has Apologized For Excluding Pacific Islanders At An Event Celebrating Asians And PIs

In case you missed it, TV personality Jeannie Mai Jenkins cohosted the White House Forum on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders last week.

Amy Sussman / Getty Images for Baby2Baby

“Hosting yesterday’s White House forum for #AANHPIHM was a pure honor– we celebrated persity, inclusivity and visibility of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities,” she wrote.

The White House / Via youtube.com

“The theme for the day was ‘Visible Together,’ and it was an invaluable learning experience for me. While hosting I suggested an easier hashtag inadvertently excluding Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, which was never my intention. Apologies to those I hurt,” she continued.

Steven Ferdman / Getty Images

“I’m grateful for the conversations with friends and colleagues to better understand the history and struggles of our communities. Incredibly thankful to continue learning & growing,” she concluded.

Phillip Faraone / Getty Images for Baby2Baby

As you might imagine, there were all sorts of reactions in the comments. A few Pacific Islanders seemed to accept her apology:

Jeannie Mai Jenkins / Via instagram.com
Jeannie Mai Jenkins / Via instagram.com

But the majority were not so forgiving. Some called her apology trash:

Jeannie Mai Jenkins / instagram.com

Others brought up the irony of the event’s theme, considering Jeannie’s actions:

Jeannie Mai Jenkins / Via instagram.com

Many told her to stop forgetting about us:

Jeannie Mai Jenkins / Via instagram.com

This person went so far as to say that any PIs who accepted her behavior as “just a mistake” should have their “Pacific Islander cards revoked”:

Jeannie Mai Jenkins / Via instagram.com

And this person suggested that Jeannie return to the White House to advocate for separate heritage months for Asians and Pacific Islanders:

Jeannie Mai Jenkins / Via instagram.com

We’ll be sure to let you know if there are any more updates.

You can find more of our Asian Pacific American Heritage Month coverage here.

Kathy Hoang / Brooke Greenberg / BuzzFeed