Jeannie Mai is thrilled to educate her daughter Monaco, who will be turning 2 next month, more about her heritage in the upcoming year. The host of The Real shared her plans for a special way to achieve this goal in 2024.
In preparations for the Hollywood Party of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024, Mai disclosed the exciting destination she has in mind for Monaco this year.
Jeannie Mai Jenkins was spotted at the Patbo Spring 2024 Ready To Wear Runway Show at Eleven Madison Park on September 9, 2023, in New York, New York. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images)Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images
“Traveling holds significant importance for Monaco and me,” Mai expressed. “I have already introduced her to about six different countries. This year, I am keen on taking her to Vietnam since she hasn’t been there yet. I am looking forward to engaging in my philanthropic endeavors related to anti-trafficking and imparting knowledge about her cultural background.”
How amazing is that? Mai, who co-parents Monaco with her ex Jeezy, has been transparent about instilling in her daughter a sense of her Black and Vietnamese roots. “Building a supportive community is crucial, not only for your own well-being but also for assisting your child in understanding their identity within the family and recognizing the roles each individual plays. This holds significant value for me as a Vietnamese American—family forms the core of everything,” she shared with PEOPLE in June.
She further elaborated, “Monaco embodies the beauty of being Black Vietnamese American, which entails comprehending the perspectives on Black identity from her grandfather and cousin, and on Vietnamese heritage from her grandmother, which differs from my own experiences as a Vietnamese American.”
During a December appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, the host of Raid the Cage unveiled another method she is employing to help Monaco discover her identity: “I am teaching [Monaco] Vietnamese, thus enabling her to communicate in both English and Vietnamese,” Mai revealed. “She comprehends Vietnamese exceptionally well, which is fascinating because that’s precisely how I learned to speak. Vietnamese is predominantly spoken at home, and then English is acquired naturally at school.”
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_SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 24: Jeannie Mai Jenkins attends the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) And Cassia’s Chefs For Human Rights (LACHR) Fundraising Event at Cassia on April 24, 2023, in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)_Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Above all, Mai’s primary wish for the upcoming year is happiness. In an interview during the dress rehearsal for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, Mai expressed her desire to manifest “pure joy” throughout 2024.
“I aspire for genuine, unadulterated joy,” Mai emphasized. “That serene and easily accessible kind of happiness that doesn’t necessitate a night out or a search. It simply exists because you feel complete and secure. That’s the essence of what I aim to experience. I understand how to evoke it, and I intend to nurture it throughout the entirety of 2024.”