Aidan Kohn-Murphy Explained

Aidan Kohn-Murphy
Birth Date:	1 January 2004
Education:	Harvard University
Alma Mater:	Georgetown Day School
Occupation:	Political activist
Organization:	Gen-Z for Change
Known For:	Founder of Gen-Z for Change

Aidan Kohn-Murphy (born 1 January 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.

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 Russian invasion of 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.

Personal life

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

Notes and References

1. Web site: October 17, 2020 . They can't vote, but they can meme: How these TikTokers are trying to get Biden elected . 2023-02-27 . NBC News . en.
2. Web site: February 7, 2022 . Gen-Z for Change – About Us . 2022-08-06 . en-US.
3. Web site: Latu . Dan . November 10, 2021 . They started making TikToks for Joe Biden. Now Gen Z For Change wants to wield real political clout . 2022-08-06 . The Daily Dot . en-US.
4. News: Lorenz . Taylor . March 11, 2022 . The White House is briefing TikTok stars about the war in Ukraine . en-US . The Washington Post . 2022-08-05 . 0190-8286.
5. Web site: Klein . Betsy . Janfaza . Rachel . March 11, 2022 . White House is briefing social media creators on Russia and Ukraine . 2022-08-07 . CNN.
6. News: Itzkoff . Dave . March 13, 2022 . On 'S.N.L.,' President Biden Seeks Help From TikTok Influencers . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-08-06 . 0362-4331.
7. Web site: Euse . Erica . October 28, 2020 . Could TikTok be the thing that finally gets young voters to the polls? . 2022-08-07 . Mic . en.
8. Web site: Ward . Ian . March 27, 2022 . Inside the Progressive Movement's TikTok Army . 2022-08-07 . POLITICO . en.
9. News: Stein . Perry . March 23, 2022 . The elite D.C. prep school at the center of Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearing . en-US . The Washington Post . 2022-08-07 . 0190-8286.
10. Web site: Oltuski . Alicia . July 18, 2022 . How a Georgetown Day grad's political savvy has made him a TikTok star . 2022-08-07 . Bethesda Magazine . en-US.
11. News: DeBonis . Mike . June 21, 2011 . Meet the first-grader who has Kwame Brown asking about chocolate milk . The Washington Post . August 7, 2022.
12. Web site: 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 . August 7, 2022 . Scribd.
13. News: Green . Erica L. . March 24, 2022 . Caught in a Culture War, Georgetown Day School Holds Fast to Its Mission . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-08-07 . 0362-4331.
14. Web site: Kohn-Murphy . Aidan . I'm gay! Stop asking . TikTok . 27 January 2024.