On May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, an African-American man named George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin. Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for approximately nine minutes in spite of protests from the latter, who pleaded, “Please, I can’t breathe.” Two other officers had assisted in restraining Floyd while another prevented outside intervention. This incident occurred because the 46-year-old Black man was believed to have used a counterfeit $20 bill, which was later proven false.
Despite America previously having instances of police brutality against the African American community, this act of violence has spurred a series of demonstrations in remembrance of George Floyd and other Black lives that have been lost due to similar occurrences. The protesting first began in Minneapolis, the origin of the crime, before spreading and having an abundance of participants nationwide. To this day, protestors continue marching in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, calling for justice.
Many instances of violence that take place in these protests have come to light; police officers have resorted to spraying tear gas and shooting rubber bullets in their attempts to control the crowds. This is supposedly in response to the rioting and looting that would occur during these gatherings. A Black Latino CNN reporter, Omar Jiminez, was seen being arrested on live television as he was giving his report on the scene in Minneapolis.
People have expressed their outrage on social media as the majority of American media has continued to paint the protestors in a negative light. Users of Twitter and Instagram have utilized the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter to not only show immense support for the movement and African Americans but to also spread awareness about organizations that are in need of donations to directly help the Black community, such as the Minneapolis Freedom Fund.
Due to the sheer volume of people posting online, the news of George Floyd’s death has reached Korean musicians, prompting them to show their support for Black Lives Matter. Korean R&B singer, Crush, posted on his social media platform: “Many artists and people around the world get so much inspiration from Black culture and music, including me. We have a duty to respect every race.” Jay Park, singer and founder of two hip-hop labels, donated $21,000 USD to the Black Lives Matter Organization collectively with his labelmates. Just last night, global K-pop sensation, BTS, wrote on Twitter: “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I, and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together. #BlackLivesMatter.”
Along with Korean musicians speaking up about the issues at hand, their fans from all across the world have also joined forces and showed their support for the movement by flooding the #AllLivesMatter and #WhiteLivesMatter hashtags on Twitter and Instagram with photos and videos of their favorite K-pop idols to take attention away from their campaigns’ racist and discriminatory messaging.
Recent events in the U.S. may have revealed the country’s bleak history of racism against African Americans, but people from all across the world, including South Korea, have responded by standing in solidarity with the Black community.
Julie Kim
Asia Journal
(Los Angeles Times Advertising Supplement)
- Source: BTS’s twitter @BTS_twt
