BTS Misrepresents Howard as Predominantly White in Video

Howard University is historically and predominantly Black. But it does not look that way in an animated video that the K-pop band BTS recently released to tease Arirang, the group’s fifth studio album. The images prominently showcase seven students arriving from Korea to the HBCU in Washington, D.C., 130 years ago. It is a creative homage to them. Perhaps it was intended to also honor Howard’s embrace of those international students during a time at which most other postsecondary institutions in the U.S. were inaccessible to Asian persons and matriculants from other non-European nations. The video fell short on the latter because it includes no Black people in the crowd to which those Korean students were singing.

To be fair, the BTS video includes this disclaimer:

Noteworthy is that performers are afforded varying degrees of input into the artistic direction of music videos. At times, they have some agency—refusing to appear on camera singing in blackface, for instance. But many simply show up to sets and follow performance directions. Given this, it is plausible that BTS had little or no say in how late-19th-century Howard University students were depicted in the video. Perhaps they were only aware that tribute was being paid to seven Korean collegians who journeyed to America long ago, which is actually a cool idea.

There are white students at Howard; just not as many as are in the BTS video. Federal statistics show that during the 2024–25 academic school year, 67 percent of full-time undergraduates there were Black. I have visited, conducted research and spoken at Howard numerous times. I know it to be a place that welcomes and embraces racial and ethnic diversity. But it is also proud to be an HBCU, which is why the BTS video is garnering such backlash on social media.

The implications of this misstep reach far beyond a single BTS album teaser. Very few students at U.S. colleges and universities will join K-pop bands. However, many more will become music industry professionals; directors of movies, television shows, podcasts and music videos; and digital illustrators who produce animated videos like the BTS album teaser. Also, some will become marketers and publicists who work with singers and others in creative professions.

Having consulted across many of these spaces in Hollywood and elsewhere, I am qualified to confidently declare the following: Companies and studios employ too few Black professionals, especially in decision-making capacities. Cultural errors like misrepresenting Howard as a predominantly white institution are likelier to occur when Black people are not meaningfully involved in content creation or invited to offer input on Black-related projects that their non-Black colleagues produce. At very least, everything involving HBCUs ought to be run past students, employees and alumni of those institutions to verify cultural accuracy prior to being released. This responsibility should not rest entirely on Black people. It is important for college students across all racial groups, including whites and Asians, to learn about Black culture and history.

During her tenure as U.S. secretary of education, Betsy DeVos erroneously referred to HBCUs as “real pioneers when it comes to school choice.” She received considerable rebuke for that mischaracterization. HBCUs were created because historically white institutions would not allow Black students to enroll—it was not because Black people chose to segregate ourselves into financially underresourced postsecondary institutions. This seems like something that our nation’s top education officer should have known. Similarly, leaders of companies that market and sell to, as well as those that employ Black people, really should know important historical and contemporary facts about HBCUs and Black communities.

There is a chance that BTS is asking, “Why are we getting dragged for something that is not our fault?” Professionals across entertainment ecosystems should not place artists and employees in similar predicaments. Deep, scaffolded lessons in cultural literacy (not one-time sensitivity trainings) are essential. I conclude with a trio of acknowledgements: (1) I really like BTS and do not hold them accountable for this situation, (2) I am a huge fan and appreciator of Howard University, and (3) I love HBCUs and remain invested in ensuring that they are properly represented. Despite this mistake, I am jammin’ to Arirang in my Apple Music. It is a great album and I am glad that BTS is back.