The members of the Korean-pop supergroup BTS will meet with President Joe Biden next week to speak about anti-Asian hate crimes and Asian representation, the White House announced Thursday.
The meeting will take place Tuesday at the White House.
“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,” the White House says in its announcement.
“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 wildly popular BTS, which consists of seven members, originated more than a decade ago in Seoul, South Korea, and was the world’s top-selling artist last year. The two-time Grammy-nominated group has released five No. 1 albums on the Billboard Hot 200 chart, and boasts chart-topping singles including “Butter” and “Dynamite.”
BTS has been vocal about anti-Asian hate crimes. The members used the hashtag #StopAsianHate in a March 2021 tweet and detailed their experiences with discrimination amid a string of violent incidents against Asian people.
“We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look,” the message read. “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. Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks.”
Last November, BTS member RM said the group wants to do what it can to help stop discrimination and racism.
“When we talk about Asian hate, our path, all the awards and our music, we just hope that this can truly help every Asian in the world, especially who live in the countries abroad,” he said during a press conference in Los Angeles.
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