It's great that Alexi McCammond felt the need to respond but what she wrote as an apology is not close to enough. We have yet to see any actions to show us she is taking this seriously.

The reason behind what I am feeling and thinking is that McCammond has not reported on anti-Asian racism or LGBTQ issues during her career at Axios and MSNBC. She has nothing on her social media accounts to show support for movements denouncing anti-Asian violence and rhetoric which became even more common since 2016. 

She did a little reporting on geopolitical issues between the Trump administration and China. But she did very little to show how those geopolitical issues affect the Asian American community. She did not report on the racialization of the Covid-19 pandemic or the unemployment rate in Asian American communities or the racist violence against Asian Americans of all ages or the normalization of racist words and negative perceptions towards Asian Americans.

She had the opportunity of time to make amends while having a platform on cable news and social media but did not use it. We are open to seeing her do the research and do the work at another publication or at a different position where she can learn and repair. But she is not suitable for the highest position at a magazine made for teenagers.

According to data from the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, "AAPI students are 20% more likely than other racial groups to be bullied in the classroom, and 3 times as likely to be cyber-bullied once or twice a month." Furthermore, according to the American Psychology Association, Asian American teens and college students are 1.6 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to other groups. Racist words and actions have a long impact for the receiving end. 

We are asking the powers in media with a magazine directed at teenagers to make the right decision for teenagers. Apologies with pretty words and no trail of action does little to repair the damage of racism.

The role of Editor in Chief should be given to candidates with a comprehensive track record highlighting the issues that impact teenagers which includes LGBTQ and Asian American teens. These candidates are out there and Alexi McCammond has shown that she is not yet one of them.