Biden to host K-pop stars BTS to talk anti-Asian hate crimes
Ok-pop supergroup BTS will go to the White Home subsequent week to debate a current spate of hate crimes focusing on Asians and Asian-Individuals with President Biden, the administration’s newest try to make use of celebrities to push social and political messages.
The White Home introduced the Might 31 go to on Thursday, including that the septet may also “talk about Asian inclusion and illustration” with the commander-in-chief.
The South Korean singing group – also referred to as Bangtan Sonyeondan or “Past the Scene” – has not shied away from condemning Anti-Asian violence previously, tweeting in March 2021 “#StopAsianHate #StopAAPIHate,” together with a prolonged assertion.
“We recall moments once we confronted discrimination as Asians,” they wrote in Korean and English. “Now we have endured expletives with out cause and had been mocked for the best way we glance. We had been even requested why Asians spoke in English.”
“We stand towards racial discrimination,” the group added. “We condemn violence. You, I and all of us have the proper to be respect. We’ll stand collectively.”
Twitter announced in December that the publish was essentially the most retweeted tweet of 2021,
The Biden White Home isn’t any stranger to visits from celebrities and social media influencers.
Most lately, actress and singer Selena Gomez attended the inaugural Conversation on Youth Mental Health led by the Division of Well being and Human Companies and MTV Leisure. Gomez has lengthy been an advocate for psychological well being consciousness and was identified with bipolar dysfunction in 2020.
Socialite and former actuality TV star Paris Hilton additionally made a current look at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to meet with administration officials on child abuse laws.
The Biden administration has confronted backlash over its use of celebrity-driven advocacy – significantly when it got here to selling COVID-19 vaccines.
In December, Twitter customers slammed the administration for enlisting musical group Pentatonix to sing about getting a booster shot. The identical month, the White Home was hit over a cringey TikTok video Biden made with the Jonas Brothers.
In August, the White Home was criticized for utilizing social media influencer Benny Drama to push for younger Individuals to get vaccinated in a viral TikTok video that includes then-White Home press secretary Jen Psaki.
Different boldface-named guests to the White Home embody pop singer Olivio Rodrigo who spoke about vaccines throughout a press briefing, R&B singer Ciara, who met with first girl Jill Biden to debate childhood vaccinations, and PBS host Invoice Nye, who filmed a TikTok video with the president to advertise the Construct Again Higher spending invoice.
Earlier this yr, the White Home took social media influencer advocacy to a different stage – holding a briefing with 30 high-profile TikTok creators about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine within the hope that the influencers would share correct details about the continuing battle.
