Today, President Biden is hosting Korean pop superstar group BTS at the White House to discuss Asian inclusion and the rise in hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans. A livestream will start at 2:30 p.m. ET
Since their debut in 2013, the seven members of BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondon or Behind the Scene) have been known to for their social activism. In 2017, they partnered with UNICEF on an anti-violence campaign, in 2020 they made a $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter, and last year they energized their enormous fanbase on Twitter to help fuel the #StopAsianHate hashtag campaign.
Since the pandemic, violent attacks against Asian Americans have risen from an average of 8.1 a year to 163 last year. For instance, a couple weeks ago, a man shot three women of Asian descent in a Dallas hair salon.
According to a statement from the White House, Biden and BTS will also discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion, and BTS’s platform as youth ambassadors who spread a message of hope and positivity across the world.
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