Aidan_Kohn-Murphy

Aidan Kohn-Murphy

Aidan Kohn-Murphy

American political activist (born 2004)

Aidan Kohn-Murphy (born (2004-01-01)January 1, 2004)[1] is an American social media content creator and political activist. He is the founder of Gen-Z for Change, a non-profit advocacy organization that uses social media to promote civil discourse and political action among members of Generation Z.

Quick Facts Born, Education ...

TikTok activism

Gen-Z for Change began in 2020 with Kohn-Murphy creating the TikTok account "TikTok for Biden" to support the presidential bid of Joe Biden. As of August 2022 it is a registered 501(c)(4) organisation with a core team of 15–20 people and a coalition of over 500 content creators and activists, which together have 540 million followers and receive 1.5 billion monthly views on social media.[2][3] It has been the subject of significant news coverage, especially after coordinating a one-hour briefing with the White House for 30 prominent TikTok content creators about the United States’ strategic goals regarding the war in Ukraine, which was parodied by Saturday Night Live.[4][5][6]

Reaction

Kohn-Murphy himself is featured prominently in this coverage, in part because of his young age (he was 16 when he created the TikTok for Biden account).[7][8][9][10] Many articles characterise him as politically precocious, and the first news coverage of his political activism is a 2011 Washington Post article about then-seven-year-old Kohn-Murphy's testimony before a D. C. Council Committee of the Whole, Youth Issues hearing, against the ban of chocolate milk in Washington, D.C.'s public schools.[11][12] Kohn-Murphy was also interviewed by The New York Times in 2022 as president of the Georgetown Day School's Student Staff Council regarding controversy over anti-racism teaching in schools, unrelated to his work with Gen-Z for Change.[13] A biographical article on Kohn-Murphy partly attributes his activism and prominence to his parents' political savvy; his mother directs the legal clinics at George Washington University, and his father served as a former D.C. Mayor’s chief of staff and is Georgetown University’s vice president for government relations and community engagement.[10]

Personal life

Kohn-Murphy lives in Washington, D.C.[1] He is gay.[14]

References

  1. [1]
    "They can't vote, but they can meme: How these TikTokers are trying to get Biden elected". NBC News. October 17, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  2. [2]
    "Gen-Z for Change – About Us". February 7, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  3. [3]
    Latu, Dan (November 10, 2021). "They started making TikToks for Joe Biden. Now Gen Z For Change wants to wield real political clout". The Daily Dot. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  4. [4]
    Lorenz, Taylor (March 11, 2022). "The White House is briefing TikTok stars about the war in Ukraine". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  5. [5]
    Klein, Betsy; Janfaza, Rachel (March 11, 2022). "White House is briefing social media creators on Russia and Ukraine". CNN. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  6. [6]
    Itzkoff, Dave (March 13, 2022). "On 'S.N.L.,' President Biden Seeks Help From TikTok Influencers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  7. [7]
    Euse, Erica (October 28, 2020). "Could TikTok be the thing that finally gets young voters to the polls?". Mic. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  8. [8]
    Ward, Ian (March 27, 2022). "Inside the Progressive Movement's TikTok Army". POLITICO. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  9. [9]
    Stein, Perry (March 23, 2022). "The elite D.C. prep school at the center of Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearing". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  10. [10]
    Oltuski, Alicia (July 18, 2022). "How a Georgetown Day grad's political savvy has made him a TikTok star". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  11. [11]
    DeBonis, Mike (June 21, 2011). "Meet the first-grader who has Kwame Brown asking about chocolate milk". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  12. [12]
    Kohn-Murphy, Aidan (June 11, 2011). "Testimony of Aidan Kohn Murphy, Lafayette Elementary, Grade 1, Before the D.C. Council, Committee of the Whole, Youth Issues". Scribd. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  13. [13]
    Green, Erica L. (March 24, 2022). "Caught in a Culture War, Georgetown Day School Holds Fast to Its Mission". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  14. [14]
    Kohn-Murphy, Aidan. "I'm gay! Stop asking". TikTok. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
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