June 09, 2020, 12:34 PM
On June 4, Korean boyband BTS took to Twitter to share their support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
우리는 인종차별에 반대합니다.
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) June 4, 2020
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
Big Hit Entertainment, which manages BTS, also revealed that the band has donated US$1 million (S$1,392,350) to the cause, BBC reported.
BTS fans matched group's donation
Shortly after, BTS fans vowed to raise just as much money.
Leading the initiative was One in an ARMY, who collated a list of organisations that the fan base can donate to.
The #MatchAMillion hashtag was trended on Twitter to spread the initiative.
TOTAL DONATION WHICH HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED ON 6/8/2020 at 13.47 PM
— Army The Grace⁷ (@ArmyTheGrace) June 8, 2020
➡️ IDR 21,500,000 ($1,517.67) ⬅️
Thank you very much Indonesian ARMYs for all your donations and support.
We Purple You 🙏🏻💜#BlackLivesMatter #MatchAMillion @BTS_twt @OneInAnARMY pic.twitter.com/ZFtSFK3jIF
The #MatchAMillion campaign was a wonderful thing.
— Ali_WMK⁷ (Slow) (@Ali_WMK317) June 8, 2020
You can still donate!
🔗https://t.co/XjNpVMvTpx
You can put 0 on any org you don’t want to donate to. https://t.co/IfjnvSwOdf
BTS donated $1M towards #BlackLivesMatter, they didn’t want to publicise it however it came out after Variety inquired. Despite having already made donations for BLM, the BTS Army then decided to start #MatchAMillion & within a day we reached our goal
— kay ⁷ (@AesopsFableFly) June 8, 2020
that’s #2MforBLM! pic.twitter.com/GoCgZFjWLB
According to Variety, the ARMY fandom managed to raise the sum within 24 hours. 35,609 donors contributed to the cause in the first wave.
One in an ARMY said that the money will go to:
- Bailouts for those arrested for protesting police brutality
- Black-led advocacy organisations fighting against systemic injustice
- Support for the physical and mental health of the Black community
Just like BTS, we were able to donate 1M dollars to help fund:
— (slow) One in an ARMY Charity Project💜 (@OneInAnARMY) June 8, 2020
💠bailouts for those arrested for protesting police brutality
💠black-led advocacy orgs fighting against systemic injustice
💠support for the physical and mental health of the black commmunity
The organisers added said in a press release:
"Black Lives Matter isn’t something that has a time limit. It’s a belief everyone needs to carry in their everyday lives.
[...]
We stand in solidarity with black ARMY. They're an important part of our family. And we stand with black people everywhere. Your voices deserve to be heard."
If you're not familiar with them, One In An ARMY is a "fan collective of volunteers around the globe" that spearheads charity initiatives on a regular basis.
Previously on June 1, the team had already raised US$50,000 (S$69,476) for the same cause in four and a half days.
In response, Kailee Scales, managing director for Black Lives Matter, told Variety:
“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.”
K-pop fans take over #WhiteLivesMatter hashtag
K-pop fans previously used their social media accounts to take over the #WhiteLivesMatter hashtag.
The aim was to drown out racist tweets by flooding the hashtag with various K-pop related content:
https://twitter.com/JeffressSophia/status/1268916174491975680
Related articles:
Top photo via @AesopsFableFly on Twitter and @bts.bighitofficial on Instagram
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