MEMBERS of the Korean pop band BTS attended the daily White House briefing on Tuesday with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, ahead of their meeting with US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, to discuss the surge in hate crimes and prejudice against Asians in the United States.
Members of the band took turns speaking about anti-Asian hate crimes and the uniting power of music.
“It’s a great honour to be invited to the White House today to discuss important issues of anti-Asian hate crimes, Asian inclusion, and diversity,” RM began.
Each member of the Grammy-nominated band spoke to the press in Korean, and then a translator restated their message in English aside from RM, who spoke in English.
“We join the White House to stand with the AANHPI community and to celebrate.” band member Jimin remarked. Jimin went on to say that band had been devastated by the recent spike of crime and bigotry towards Asian Americans that has remained since the beginning of the pandemic. Last year, President Biden igned the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act into law, providing law enforcement with resources to investigate crimes against Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
“It’s not wrong to be different,” Suga said via a translator. ”Equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences.”
V added everyone has their own history and hopes that today is one step forward to understanding and appreciating everyone as a valued individual.
In addition, the boy band will meet with President Biden in the Oval Office to discuss the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes. During their discussion, BTS will also address their “platform as youth ambassadors who transmit a message of hope and happiness throughout the world,“ according to the White House.
Since 2020, there has been an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and prejudice, including the March 2021 murders of eight individuals at Atlanta-area massage businesses, including six women of Asian heritage. Following the shootings, Asian American organisations around the country held unity events and flocked social media to demand a stop to racist assaults.
Within days of the attacks, BTS tweeted: “We stand against racial discrimination,“ along with the hashtags #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate.
