BTS Got Real About Why It Was Important To Them To Support Black Lives Matter
On June 5, BTS and Big Hit Entertainment donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter. ARMYs quickly followed in the boys' footsteps and donations from fans began to pour in thanks to BTS action. RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook weren't seeking recognition for their donation, so they haven't spoken out much directly about it until now. BTS' quotes about their $1 million Black Lives Matter donation send a clear message: They will not stand for prejudice of any kind.
Black Lives Matter's mission is to "eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes," according to the organization's website. After a summer that saw multiple Black people die at the hands of police, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, BTS wanted to step up and show their support for an important cause.
When asked why the group decided to speak out against racism and donate to BLM in June, Jin told Variety:
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. We started to discuss what we could do to help, whether it was a donation or something else. That’s where the conversation began — just trying to see what we could do to try to alleviate this prejudice.
BTS didn't take their decision to speak out lightly, either. Knowing the significance of what their choice to publicly support BLM would mean for them and their fans, RM explained that the group "discussed it very carefully with the company and that’s how this came about."
But, in the end, the decision to speak out was a given. Suga added: "[When it comes to supporting Black Lives Matter], I think it’s very simple really. It’s about us being against racism and violence. Most people would be against these things. We have experienced prejudice as well ourselves. We just want to voice the fact that we feel it’s the right of everyone to not be subject to racism or violence."
J-Hope echoed RM and Suga's sentiments, adding, "We always want to do what we can to make it a better world," he said. "Whether in Korea or elsewhere, and go in as much of a positive direction as we can, whether through our music or charity."
