K-Pop’s BTS & US President Joe Biden team up to #StopAsianHate

BTS is slated to visit US President Joseph Biden on Tuesday (May 31), an announcement from the White House said.

The K-Pop supergroup will be discussing Asian inclusion, representation and anti-Asian discrimination with the President on the final day of AANHPI (Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) Heritage Month, amid an uptick of anti-Asian hate crimes in the US which began a few years ago.

The incidence of anti-Asian hate crime increased by 339 per cent in 2021 in comparison with the year before, according to data published by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism in February.

“President Biden has previously spoken about his commitment to combating the surge of anti-Asian hate crimes and signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in May 2021 to provide law enforcement with resources to identify, investigate, and report hate crimes and ensure that hate crimes information is more accessible to AA and NHPI communities.

President Biden and BTS will also discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and BTS’ platform as youth ambassadors who spread a message of hope and positivity across the world,” the White House said in a statement.

In March of last year, BTS released a statement about their own experiences with discrimination.

#StopAsianHate#StopAAPIHate pic.twitter.com/mOmttkOpOt

— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) March 30, 2021

“We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English.

We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason,” BTS said.

In the US, over 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported between March 19, 2020, and December 31, 2021.

These include the killing of eight people by a white gunman in March 2021, six of whom were Asian women.

It was after this incident that BTS put out its statement and netizens began using the #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate more widely.

Ms Bernadette Belle Wu Ong, Singapore’s candidate for Ms Universe, even emblazoned the words “STOP ASIAN HATE” on the red-and-white cape she wore to the pageant, turning heads and earning praise for her bold statement.

Last year, the United Nations granted BTS the role of “special presidential envoys for future generations and culture” to further global diplomacy.

The K-Pop group has also partnered with UNICEF in its anti-violence campaign, Love Myself, and has performed at the United Nations General Assembly. /TISG

Miss Universe Singapore unfurls ‘Stop Asian Hate’ cape at pageant