Anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination issues have become more prominent since the pandemic started. K-pop superstar group BTS is all set to make a trip to discuss the matter with Washington President Joe Biden.
On 31 May, the final day of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, BTS the seven-member boyband will be joining Joe Biden. The White House confirmed the news in a statement, that the group will also be discussing ‘Asian inclusion and representation.’
President Biden and BTS are willing to discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion. BTS spread the message of positivity and hope across the world as youth ambassadors by using the platform, the statement said in part.
Since the band BTS debuted in 2013, they made a huge global recognition for their activities and self-produced music. BTS also caught the attraction by publicly calling out for anti-Asian racism and giving a speech at the United Nations.
The group had six no.1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. They won the American Music Award in 2021 for the favorite pop song award for their song ‘butter’. BTS was also named favorite pop duo or group and artist of the year in 2021.
From March 2020 through September 2021, The Stop AAPI Hate coalition out of San Francisco State University tracked more than 10,000 incidents of hate against the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. In the U.S many shared stories of hateful attacks from people blaming them for the rise of Covid-19.
In early 2021, a German radio station drew ire when a host compared the BTS band to the Coronavirus. The statement made them feel powerless and destroyed their self-esteem. In a statement, the band said on the March 29, 2021-
‘We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence.’
BTS said they felt the topic need to be spoken out though the discrimination they endure is inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. The band explains the situation that what’s happening cannot be disassociated as their identity is Asian.
In May 2021, Biden signed legislation to defend against anti-Asian crimes after support from members of Congress from both parties. An official in charge was appointed for reviewing the hate crime in the law to simplify the justice department. Biden emphasizes providing more training if needed for boosting help law enforcement. All the support would be provided for the investigation and identifying the accurate point of hate crimes.
With the support of both party members of congress, Biden declared at the signing-
‘Hate can be given no safe harbor in America’
