‘Be the Change’ with Kahlil Greene

UAA’s College of Arts and Sciences hosted Kahlil Greene on Sept. 10 as part of the 26-27 season CAS Community Lecture Series. 

Greene is a Peabody award-winner and two time Emmy nominee who has been nicknamed the “Gen Z Historian.” 

In his “Hidden History” series on Tiktok, Greene talks about “crazy, creepy, and or covered up American history.”

According to his website, Greene was a Yale undergraduate student who majored in history with an interdisciplinary focus on social change and social movements, and served as the first Black student body president in Yale’s history. 

During his presidency in 2020, Greene fundraised $57,715 through the Yale Together GoFundMe for local organizations in response to racially motivated violence and the impact of Covid-19.

During the lecture, Greene spoke about his video on the whitewashing of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, which referenced how mainstream social media only shared positive and optimistic quotes about Martin Luther King Jr. He emphasized the video’s viral engagement.

Greene also spoke about influencers not disclosing paid partnerships in political messages shared on social media, and the importance of being skeptical of what influencers share.

He presented a slide with data that highlighted that 54 percent of people aged 18-24 get their news from social media instead of traditional news sources. 

He emphasized concerns regarding the increasingly difficult ability to discern what’s real or AI, and to be cautious of disinformation.

Greene told The Northern Light that viewers can combat targeted social media algorithms and content by emphasizing advocacy and action. “Lobby congress for regulations for these companies,” said Greene.

He also mentioned the importance of creating discussion with those involved in your community, and to ask questions about similarities in algorithms.

“Engage with the comment section, it’s a public forum,” he said.

Greene encouraged attendees to “be the change” within local communities.