BTS, Big Hit Entertainment donate $1 million to Black Lives Matter

MANILA, Philippines – K-pop superstars BTS and their management company Big Hit Entertainment donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter. BTS, through their management group, earlier expressed support for the movement.

Variety reported that Big Hit Entertainment made the donation on Friday, June 5. Kailee Scales, managing director of Black Lives Matter, thanked the group for its support. “Black people all over the world are in pain at this moment from the trauma of centuries of oppression. We are moved by the generosity of BTS and allies all over the world who stand in solidarity in the fight for Black lives,” she said.

In an earlier tweet, the 7-member 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.” They also used the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter in their June 4 tweet. 

Protests have been happening in the US and around the world after George Floyd, a Black American, died because a policeman knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes even as he was handcuffed and unarmed. Derek Chauvin, the white policeman, was charged with charged for unintentionally causing a death and negligent manslaughter on Friday, May 29. Three other cops who were present but did nothing to stop Chauvin have also been charged. 

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

The group’s legion of fans, affectionally dubbed ARMY, have also began raising funds to match Big Hit and BTS’s donation. 

Okay, well it hasn’t even been an hour since that update but okay… you added another $50k to #BlackLivesMatter for the #MatchAMillion project, ARMY.

So that happened!#BTS @BTS_twt https://t.co/KHCBxnU2iH pic.twitter.com/vCj9KIBdSH

— ⟭⟬ One in an ARMY⁷ ⟬⟭ Charity Project  (@OneInAnARMY) June 7, 2020

The movement is also calling for justice for other Black Americans who’ve died in the hands of police in the recent months and years, such as that of Breonna Taylor, an EMT who was killed by officers from the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Cops had the wrong address and used a battering ram to enter her apartment without warning and were searching for a suspect who was already in custody. Breonna would have turned 27 on June 5. 

Other celebrities and entertainment companies have expressed support for the movement, and have joined the call to end racial discrimination. ( READ: Music industry pledges anti-racist ‘Black Out Tuesday’)

Other K-pop stars such as Jay Park and his group H1GHR Music, Mark Tuan of boyband GOT7, and Korean-American rapper ph-1 have also made donations to various organizations against racial discrimination in the US.

K-pop fans have become allies in the Black Lives Matter movement in the US. Fan accounts have taken over problematic hashtags – such as #WhiteLivesMatter – in order to flood racist tweets with fancams and images of their idols instead. – Rappler.com