BTS will visit the White House next week to mark AANHPI Heritage Month and discuss with President Joe Biden the alarming rise in anti-Asian discrimination and hate crimes in the United States. A White House statement said advertising panelThe Korean Pop Septet will head to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on May 31 to speak with the Commander-in-Chief about Asian participation and representation and Biden’s efforts to stem the tide of hate crimes against people of Asian descent.
“President Biden had previously spoken of his commitment to combating escalating anti-Asian hate crimes and signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in May 2021 to provide authorities with the resources to identify, investigate and report crimes of hate. For the communities, “the statement about the visit is read.
According to a recent report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, the rate of anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 339% in 2021, with New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles all breaking records in 2020.
“President Biden and BTS also discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and BTS’ platform as youth ambassadors spreading the message of hope and positivity around the world,” the statement said. The visit comes a week after Biden returned from his first trip to Asia as president, including three days of meetings at the South Korean Capitol in Seoul.
The group released a statement about its own experiences of discrimination amid a spate of anti-Asian hate crimes across the U.S. last year following a March 16 shooting in Atlanta in which a gunman killed eight people, including six women. Asian three-year-olds. . Asian massage parlors. “We remember the times when Asians were discriminated against,” they wrote on Twitter. “We portray criminals unjustifiably and deride them for our appearance. They even asked us why Asians speak English.”
This story first appeared on Billboard.com.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
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