BTS Talk About Their Experiences with Racism in Note to Stop Asian Hate

K-Pop group BTS has written an open letter to fans to lend their support to the #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate movement amid the anti-Asian violence across the U.S.

The band’s seven members released a joint statement on Twitter on Monday (March 29) in which they recounted their own experiences with racism and condemned the violence happening right now.

“We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English,” they said.

The note ended by saying, “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.”

BTS‘ note was released in both Korean and English. Keep scrolling to read the full text of the note.

Click inside to read the full note in English…

You can read the full note in English below:

We send our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. We feel grief and anger.

We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English.

We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason. Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem.

What is happening right now cannot be dissociated from our identity as Asians. It required considerable time for us to discuss this carefully and we contemplated deeply on how we should voice our message.

But what our voice must convey is clear.

We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.