BTS' Army Takes Over Twitter To Support Black Fans With #BlackOutBTS

BTS fans got #BlackOutBTS to trend on Twitter once more on Tuesday, Sept. 15, to show support for the K-pop group's Black fans who face racial discrimination.

Though this isn't the first time, BTS fans, collectively known as Army, flooded the tweets posted by the Black members of the BTS fanbase with positive messages for the #BlackOutBTS movement.

Using the hashtag, Black BTS fans shared side-by-side selfies with their favorite member of the septet, which consists of RM, Jimin, Suga, V, Jin, J-Hope and Jungkook.

The BTS Army also used other hashtags, including #BlackARMYsMatter and #BlackARMYsequality, to bring attention to the discrimination faced by Black members of the fandom.

The BTS fanbase created the hashtag on Twitter earlier this year, with one fan named Darren explaining (via Exclusive Hollywood), "#BlackOutBTS is made for the fans who get the most silenced within the army: black people. We get constantly ridiculed, ignored, attacked and disrespected within the army and we as a cohesive unit are sick of it."

"#BlackOutBTS is a selca day for just us to showcase our beauty, admire our bias in any way we choose to and for once get some shine," the BTS fan continued. "This… isn’t to exclude anyone, this is to raise up those who don’t receive inclusion."

However, this movement actually didn't come from the BTS fans but started much earlier on Feb. 28, 2018, during Black History Month.

"The ‘Blackout Day’ tag was created to embrace the online black community on social media by sharing images of beautiful black people by selfies etc," BTS fan @JHSMICDROP said of the origin of the movement.

"It’s not to ‘outshine’ or disrespect white people, it’s there to embrace, and shed a positive light on black individuals," the fan continued. "It has been around for about three years, and the whole tag means minority voices are given the type of attention they are denied in mainstream culture."

BTS had earlier voiced its support to the Black Lives movement and donated $1 million to BLM.

"We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together," BTS said in a statement back in June.

The K-pop group's donation was matched by its Army within a day.

Erika Overton, one of the administrators of One In An ARMY, the fan group that organized the #MatchAMillion fundraising campaign, told Reuters that this accomplishment proves that being an Army is not just about buying records and that the BTS fanbase isn't just composed of excited teenage girls.

"We’re buying cars and selling out stadiums; you can’t just do that with some overexcited girls," the 40-year-old added. "This is not just a fan group to enjoy music – it’s an economic force, and something you can’t really dismiss as something trivial."

The mobilizing power of the Army is well-recorded and has benefited various charities as well.

Every year, BTS fans around the world also initiate special charity projects to celebrate the birthdays of the members of the South Korean septet.

These projects included donating toward COVID-19 prevention, raising money for those affected by floods in South Korea and sending women’s hygiene products to underdeveloped areas in China, among others.

Earlier this year, BTS fans donated thousands to children's charity Magic Breakfast in the U.K. to thank television personality James Corden after the band's interview on the "The Late Late Show With James Corden."