The White House announced on May 26 that K-pop superstars BTS will join US President Joe Biden next week to discuss anti-Asian hate crimes and celebrate the Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month.
“On Tuesday, May 31st, global K-pop phenomenon and Grammy-nominated musical group from the Republic of Korea BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan or ‘Beyond the Scene’) will join President Biden to discuss Asian inclusion and representation and to address anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination which have become more prominent issues in recent years,” according to a press release from the White House.
It added, “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.”
“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,” it read.
Last September, BTS spoke about the youth and Covid-19 at the second Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Moment of the Decade of Action meeting held at the United Nations General Assembly hall in New York City.
A video of BTS performing their song “Permission to Dance” in the UN General Assembly hall and surrounding areas was shown during the SDG Moment.