N.C. A&T Young Alumnus Tylik McMillan Mobilizes Young People to Take Action
It all started for Tylik McMillan ’19 at the dinner table helping his grandmother make preparations for the local NAACP chapter or school board meetings to address issues in the community. Today, he serves as the national director of the youth and college division for the National Action Network, the civil rights organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton.
“While all of my friends were out playing games or partying, I was learning from my grandmother the meaning of being a community organizer. She was also the leader of the Democratic Party in Lawrenceville, Virginia,” said McMillan. “I knew firsthand what it took to ask the right questions and to be present in the moment for change.”
When McMillan was 13, he was recommended by a family friend to work for Sharpton’s National Action Network. He served under the Youth and College Division, engaging young people in social and racial justice initiatives.
While attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, McMillan still volunteered for the National Action Network and served as the 2017-18 Attorney General for the Student Government Association. In 2019, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science and an internship with the Congressional Black Caucus.
“After graduation and completing my internship, I secured a paid position with the National Action Network as a policy advisor,” he said. “In June 2020, I was promoted to the national director of the youth and college division.”
This summer, McMillan made headlines when he helped organize the 57th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, D.C. More than 200,000 people rallied at the Lincoln Memorial and in the crowd were thousands of high school and college students who wanted their voices to be heard.
McMillan’s work also has included assisting with the planning of George Floyd’s funeral and teaching young people how to get involved and take action in their communities.
“Every day I am in awe because of the work I am doing, the tables I am sitting at and the mentorship I receive from Rev. Al Sharpton,” McMillan said. “However, I owe a part of my journey to North Carolina A&T because I stand on the shoulders of giants who came before me like the A&T Four, Jesse Jackson and the countless voices of many Aggies.
“Even now, I’m constantly reminded by President Warmoth T. Gibbs’ quote: ‘We teach our students how to think, not what to think.’ For that, A&T has taught me professionalism from my days of sitting at the table with Chancellor Harold L. Martin, Sr. to now being at the table with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.”
To learn more about McMillan and the work he is doing for the National Action Network, please visit www.tylikmcmillan.com.
