BTS is visiting the White House subsequent week to rejoice in AANHPI Heritage Month and talk about with President Joe Biden the disturbing rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination within the United States. According to a launch from the White House shared with Billboard, the Korean pop septet will contact down at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. on May 31 to speak with the commander in chief about Asian inclusion and illustration, and Biden’s efforts to stem the tide of hate crimes towards individuals of Asian heritage.
“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,” learn a press release saying the go to.
According to a current report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, the speed of anti-Asian hate crime elevated by 339 percent in 2021, with New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles all surpassing the information set in 2020.
“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 assertion continued. The go-to will come one week after Biden returns from his first journey to Asia as president, together with three days of conferences within the South Korean capital of Seoul.
The group launched a press release about their very own expertise with discrimination final yr within the midst of a collection of anti-Asian hate crimes within the U.S. following the March 16 shootings in Atlanta wherein a gunman killed eight individuals, together with six Asian ladies, at three Asian therapeutic massage parlors. “We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians,” they tweeted at the time. “We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English.”
