BTS Ends AANHPI Month at White House Speaking Against Asian Hate
Last week, it was announced that South Korean boy band BTS, the global sensation taking the world by storm, would visit the White House to celebrate the last day of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month with President Joe Biden.
On Tuesday, they sat down with the president to discuss anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination in the U.S., along with the crucial need for representation, inclusion, and coming together in solidarity in regard to the Asian community.
BTS is a group based in South Korea that has seen international success. Not only does BTS mean a lot to the Asian diaspora in terms of representation and inclusion, but they are also widely admired by their diverse and expansive fans known as ARMY. For this very reason, they have gone from the Grammy’s stage to the UN General Assembly on multiple occasions.
Biden’s conversation with BTS was closed to the press, but the group of seven did make an appearance and shared a few words at a press briefing with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
The group is known for their powerful messages of self-love and acceptance, but fans also know them for their comprehensive views and analysis of oppression and societal systems in their music and their actions. Their speech on their White House visit was no different, as all the group members took a stand with their AANHPI community to stop anti-Asian hate.
“It’s not wrong to be different; equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences,” says Min Yoongi, known as SUGA, of BTS.
Anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination have been on the rise since the beginning of the pandemic due to the xenophobic and racist misinformation around the origins of COVID-19. From the beginning of the pandemic to March 2021, more than 3,800 anti-Asain hate crimes were reported. Stop AAPI Hate found that another 10,905 hate crimes were reported between March 2020 through December 2021.
Last May, Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Bill that aims to prevent and address hate crimes by having an appointed person in the Department of Justice to more closely and efficiently review anti-Asian hate crimes. The bill also provides funding to create crime reduction programs as a prevention method.
The band’s visit is at the White House is a reminder to celebrate who we are and where we come from as we continue to fight against oppression and injustice.
Screenshot courtesy by ABC7 on Youtube
