This June, BTS and their label Big Hit Entertainment announced that they donated $1 million (roughly P48.34 million) to the Black Lives Matter movement in the US.
The movement protests the string of police brutality and racially-motivated violence against Black people in the US.
우리는 인종차별에 반대합니다.
우리는 폭력에 반대합니다.
나, 당신, 우리 모두는 존중받을 권리가 있습니다. 함께 하겠습니다.We stand against racial discrimination.
We condemn violence.
You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.#BlackLivesMatter— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) June 4, 2020
In a statement, the Korean boy group said, “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together. #BlackLives Matter.”
The donation inspired ARMY, the group’s fan base, to match that donation within 24 hours.
In an interview with Variety, BTS further explained the story behind their donation.
According to member Jin, “When we’re abroad or in other situations, we’ve also been subjected to prejudice. We feel that prejudice should not be tolerated; it really has no place.”
His co-member RM added, “It was a decision we thought about very carefully: What could we do, as part of our overall message of speaking out against prejudice and violence? We discussed it very carefully with the company and that’s how this came about.”
They clarified that they weren’t trying to send a message and that it was just a donation.
Suga said, “Ours are initiatives that any person who wishes to live in a just world would want to pursue. We aren’t trying to send out some grandiose message…It’s about us being against racism and violence. Most people would be against these things.”
This weekend, BTS will be holding Map of the Soul ON:E, an offline and online concert. It will be held on October 10 and 11.
What do you think? Share your thoughts below!
Do you have a story for the WhenInManila.com Team? Email us at story.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send us a direct message at WhenInManila.com Facebook Page. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com Community at WIM Squad. Join our Viber group to be updated with the latest news!
