Through their Twitter account https://twitter.com/BTS_twt, one of the most prominent boy groups globally today, BTS finally speaks up against anti-Asian violence.
Their post on March 30, 2021, condemns the hate offenses against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Bangtan Sonyeondan joins the campaign to voice out an urge of what seems like an endless wave of brutal anti-Asian violence and prejudice attacks.
The group formally addressed the issue both in Korean and English with hashtags #StopAsianHate, #StopAAPIHate. Further giving detail on their experiences of discrimination as Asians and manifests solidarity with the movement to stop racism and bigotry.
BTS shares their letter in English as follows:
We send our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. We feel grief and anger.
We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians.
We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. 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. 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. 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.
We stand against racial discrimination.
We condemn violence.
You, I, and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.
#StopAsianHate#StopAAPIHate pic.twitter.com/mOmttkOpOt
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) March 30, 2021
There are also other Kpop artists and Asian celebrities all over the world have expressed their stand and support for the movement.