'Gen Z historian' is using TikTok to share truth behind history's 'whitewashed' moments

A self-professed Gen Z historian is using his platform for good by sharing his knowledge of race and history online.

Kahlil Greene, 22, has only been on the platform for the last year and a half after graduating from Yale, where he was the first Black student body president, reports Insider.

He has since garnered over half a million followers, describing social media's "social currency" as the new "literal currency".

Kahlil told Forbes: "Clout equals profits, and a lot of ways that creators, especially non-black creators, gain this clout is by taking elements or cultural contributions from the Black community, performing them to a majority non-black audience, and getting fame, clout, and profits for it."

In his new TikTok series, 'Hidden History', Kahlil explores and educates viewers on the less known aspects of the past, including how the media whitewashed Martin Luther King's quotes.

He highlighted how "the only quotes on MLK day are the ones that are super positive, super optimistic, and don't mention anything about race, class, or any of the other things MLK commented on or fought for."

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In a separate clip, Kahlil said he believes everything on TikTok originated with Black people.

He explores and dissects how "most of Gen Z culture is just a whitewashed version of Black American culture", with TikTok making it easier for non-Black people to appropriate and monetise off Black culture.

He further noted that even the word "cool" came from African American English, which prompted him to share his knowledge on the new Oxford Dictionary Of African American English.

Kahlil has since attracted thousands of fans who flood his clips with praise.

"Thank you for this, we need more," one said, while another follower reiterated: "I didn’t know this and haven’t read it anywhere outside of school either, thanks for sharing!"

Kahlil told Insider: "So much of what society thinks of as 'cool' originates from African American culture,

"I hope to raise awareness of this and help give people the credit they deserve."

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