On the final day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, K-pop giant BTS stopped in front of the White House on Tuesday to speak with President Joe Biden about Asian integration and representation.
Press Secretary Karen-Jean-Pierre introduced the group and RM kicked off the press conference in English by introducing themselves and thanking the White House and Biden for the opportunity to speak on “important issues related to hate crimes against Asia and Asian integration and diversity.”
Then, both men took turns speaking in Korean with Jin and Jimin to express how honored they are for standing up for their community at the White House on the last day of AAPI month. Jimin said, “We have been devastated by the recent rise in hate crimes… to put an end to this and support the cause, we would like to take this opportunity to [lend our voices]. “
J-Hope added, “We are here today thanks to our military – our fans all over the world – who have different nationalities and cultures and use different languages. We are really and always grateful.”
Jungkook concluded by saying that the group “remains amazed that music created by South Korean artists has reached so many people around the world… We think music has always been an amazing and wonderful uniter of all things.” Suga also added, “It’s not wrong to be different, equality begins when we open up and accept all our differences.”
V said, “We hope today is a step forward to respect and understand each individual as a person of value.”
In total, more than a quarter of a million people watched the band speak on the White House’s YouTube live.
Amid a spike in hate crimes against Asians in the US last year, BTS spoke about their own experience with discrimination via Twitter, saying:
“We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the object of hate and violence for this reason. Our own experiences are irrational compared to the events of the past few weeks. But these experiences have been enough to make us feel helpless and annihilate our self-esteem.”
Read the full statement below.
#StopAsianHate#StopAAPIHate pic.twitter.com/mOmttkOpOt
– 방탄 소년단 (BTS_twt) March 30, 2021
In May of 2021, Biden signed a bipartisan bill intended to address the rise in anti-Asia hate crimes into law in May 2021. The bill was introduced to help report hate crimes, making them more accessible at the local and state levels. By enhancing public reach.
As part of this year’s AANHPI Heritage Month, Biden made an announcement late last month about the contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders to the country’s history and culture. He and Vice President Kamala Harris – who is half Indian – also hosted a reception at the White House earlier this month that included US Trade Representative Catherine Taye.
Two days later, the White House applauded the passage of legislation to create a commission to study the possibility of creating a national museum of American history and culture in the Asia-Pacific region.
In recent months, the president has welcomed several artists, including Olivia Rodrigo and the Jonas Brothers, into the White House, often as part of the vaccination effort.
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