BTS
are among the most influential members of the global Asian community, and they’ve now
issued a strongly worded statement
condemning the recent wave of anti-Asian hate and violence in the U.S.
“We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence,” the K-pop superstars write. “You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.”
The group also detailed their own experiences as the victims of racism.
“We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look,” they write. “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,” they continue. However, they add, “Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem.”
“What is happening right now cannot be dissociated from our identity as Asians,” they write. “It required considerable time for us to discuss this carefully and we contemplated deeply on how we should voice our message. But what our voice must convey is clear.”
They added the hashtags #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate.
Last year, BTS publicly supported the Black Lives Matter movement, and they and their label donated a million dollars to groups connected to BLM. Their fans donated millions more, according to the
Hollywood Reporter.
By Andrea Dresdale
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