K-Pop superstars, BTS, and their management company, Big Hit Entertainment, have donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement, a representative confirmed to Variety.
BTS and Big Hit are not expected to comment on the donation but Black Lives Matter managing director Kailee Scales spoke to Variety about the group's contribution.
"Black people all over the world are in pain at this moment from the trauma of centuries of oppression," Scales said. "We are moved by the generosity of BTS and allies all over the world who stand in solidarity in the fight for Black lives."
BTS did send out a tweet on Thursday in which they stood in solidarity with those seeking justice for George Floyd's murder.
"We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence," the tweet reads. "You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together."
The BTS ARMY began organizing on Twitter suggesting they pool their money to match BTS' one million donation. Twitter user @monosplaylist came up with the phrase #MatchAMillion.
In order to accurately track the donations, fans turned to One In An ARMY that has organized several successful fundraisers since 2015.
On June 7, approximately 25 hours after the #MatchAMillion hashtag was created, the tracker ticked over one million.
"Black Lives Matter isn't something that has a time limit," they said in a statement. "It's a belief that 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."
The K-Pop community has gathered in support of the Black Lives Matter movement since Floyd's death and ensuing uprisings started to make headlines. Not only have artists like BTS, Mark Tuan, and Jay Park donated to various causes, but K-Pop stans have used their collective presence to overshadow racism.
In response to Black Lives Matter, the White Lives Matter hashtag started to appear on social media. Once this became known, K-Pop fanatics started to spam the hashtag with fancams of their favorite artists. The abundance of videos helped drown out any racist rhetoric that could have been promoted through the hashtag.
