Nominated by: Derrick Johnson, President of the NAACP
Age: 29
Based In: Washington, DC
After helping to organize the 2020 Commitment March on Washington and the 2021 March On for Voting Rights, Tylik McMillan served as the Youth Coalitions Director for the DNC and landed as the National Director of Youth and College of the NAACP earlier this year.
“Tylik is a leader among the next generation of civil rights activists. From organizing hundreds of thousands on the National Mall to leading the NAACP’s Youth & College Division at one of the most consequential moments in modern American history, Tylik has never waited for permission to fight. He is a son of the South, a proud HBCU graduate, and a strategist who understands that power is not given. Power is built. Brick by brick, vote by vote, generation by generation. At a time when the rights so many bled and died for are being dismantled in real time, Tylik McMillan is not just someone to watch. He is exactly who this moment demands.” —Derrick Johnson
Derrick Johnson: In this moment when progress is being eroded, what do you say to young people who are exhausted but can’t afford to sit this one out?
Tylik McMillan: First, I would say your exhaustion makes sense. Feeling tired does not make you weak. You are not disengaged just for feeling overwhelmed. We are living in a crisis that will be recorded in history. But the truth is, exhaustion does not cancel your power; it does not limit your potential and what you bring to this world.
Every generation that moved this country forward did so while tired. The young people from my alma mater North Carolina A&T who organized sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement were exhausted. The students who marched against apartheid were exhausted. The Dreamers who organized for DACA were exhausted. Yet they moved anyway, not because they weren’t tired, but because they understood that the cost of sitting out was greater than the cost of showing up.
And showing up doesn’t always mean burning yourself out. It means being strategic. So, pace yourself, but don’t disappear. And my personal favorite: protect your peace, give yourself grace but don’t surrender your power because this moment is calling for consistent courage.
Johnson: What inspired you to get involved with civic engagement?
McMillan: What inspired me to get involved really started in my g-mom’s living room. My great-grandmother, Roberta Boutselis, played a foundational role in shaping how I see the world. I used to sit with her for hours watching C-SPAN. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what I was absorbing. She was intentional. She spoke life into me before I was even aware of the seeds she was planting. Through her, I learned that politics wasn’t something distant or abstract. It was personal. It was about people. It was about power and how it shapes our everyday lives.
My grandparents, Clinton and Gwendolyn McMillan, reinforced that lesson in action. They were the kind of people who didn’t wait to be asked. If there was a need in the community, they showed up. Whether it was church, county issues, or supporting families around them, service wasn’t a title, it was a responsibility.
So, for me, this work isn’t just professional, it’s generational. It’s rooted in the example of people who taught me that when you see a need, you respond. When you have a voice, you use it. And when God has blessed you, you be a blessing for others.
Johnson: With the midterms approaching this November, what is the NAACP’s playbook for turning out young Black voters?
McMillan: Our playbook is simple but intentional: meet young Black voters where they are, and connect culture to consciousness. Young people today are not driven by party labels or political jargon. They are issue-based voters. They care about what directly impacts their lives, college affordability, economic mobility, reproductive freedom, public safety, climate justice, voting rights, and the future of democracy.
So, our job isn’t to speak in partisan talking points. It’s to make the stakes real and close to home. We understand that culture moves this generation. We don’t shame young people into voting. We educate, equip, and empower them.
Johnson: What is the most pressing issue facing young Americans today?
McMillan: The most pressing issue facing young Americans today is this: whether we will choose division or collective liberation. As the late Jesse Jackson once said, America is not Black and white, it’s colorful like a rainbow. That still rings true today. Our diversity is not our weakness, it is our strength. But right now, too many forces are trying to convince young people that progress is a zero-sum game, that one community’s freedom comes at the expense of another’s.
That’s simply not true. When we talk about Black liberation, we’re talking about expanding democracy for everyone. When we fight to protect voting rights, we’re protecting the foundation for all communities. When we defend our trans brothers and sisters, we’re defending the principle that everyone deserves dignity and safety.
The most urgent issue is whether we can organize in a way that reflects that truth. Will we allow ourselves to be divided, or will we recognize that none of us are free until all of us are free? We must learn to organize in love.
Johnson: As an activist, what’s one way every American can get involved in their community?
McMillan: One way every American can get involved in their community is simple: show up consistently for something bigger than yourself. The key is consistency.
Real change happens when ordinary people decide that their presence matters. When you show up to the same meeting more than once. When you follow up. When you build relationships. When you hold leaders accountable. Activism doesn’t always start with protests. Sometimes it starts with introducing yourself to your neighbor and asking, “Where is a need?”
This feature is part of CULTURED’s 2026 Young Activists list, spotlighting those around the country working to champion the causes closest to them. Each is nominated and interviewed by a leader in their field. You can read their features here.
in your life?
