After Facing Intense Backlash, Jeannie Mai Jenkins Has Apologized For Excluding Pacific Islanders At An Event Celebrating Asians And PIs
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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.
“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 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.
“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.
As you might imagine, there were all sorts of reactions in the comments. A few Pacific Islanders seemed to accept her apology:
But the majority were not so forgiving. Some called her apology trash:
Others brought up the irony of the event’s theme, considering Jeannie’s actions:
Many told her to stop forgetting about us:
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”:
And this person suggested that Jeannie return to the White House to advocate for separate heritage months for Asians and Pacific Islanders:
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.