Karyn Greer has worked as a news reporter and anchor in the southeast for 33 years.
On May 20 in Atlanta, Greer hosted an afternoon session of Hope Global Forums Cryptocurrency + Digital Assets Summit. During the event, she spoke to rolling out about her career in the news industry and the importance of learning about cryptocurrency.
Why did you decide to participate in this event?
I’m learning things already. That was a big reason I came. Once they called and asked me if I would help emcee for the second portion of this conference, I thought, why not? … I need to learn all about cryptocurrency. Everybody’s talking about it. So when I’m reporting about it, when I’m talking about it, at least I’ll have an idea of what the industry is about.
What makes cryptocurrency important in the news industry?
Mainly because it is something everybody’s talking about. As a journalist, you want to be on top of what people are talking about. You want to be in the know, you don’t want to just read a bunch of words that don’t make sense, but you want to understand what the process is about, and how it is helping people or what’s going on with the markets. That’s something you can only learn by learning about what cryptocurrency is.
How does cryptocurrency impact the financial literacy discussion in the Black community?
I believe financial literacy is very important for everyone, not just the Black community, but the Black community does have more of a need for it right now. You need to know people. We were just talking about students that go to HBCUs, some on a full scholarship, that will take out a loan to buy a car and do other things. So now you have debt. So people need to realize, especially our young people here in the Black community, what not to do so that you don’t find yourself getting out of school with a lot of debt over your head and can’t relax and enjoy your life.
Why support someone like John Hope Bryant?
John Hope Bryant is an amazing man. I followed his story from Los Angeles, California, and how he has made something from nothing. That should be something everyone hopes to do. It’s important to know who John Hope Bryant is and to support him because he’s supporting our communities. He’s got programs right now that are going to help young people in our communities. So keep on top of what he’s doing and get involved. If you can, when you hear his name, your ears should perk up, and you should try and see if it is something [to learn more] about and get involved in.
