In episode 60 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Daniel Lloyd, Founder and President of Minority Millennials, an innovative organization that works to represent Minorities & Millennials in policies that impact America’s future.

The vision of the organization is to help ensure that the minority millennial and future generations of America are provided the proper human capital investment needed-to move towards a more economically, culturally, and socially sustainable future.

About Minority Millennials

The organization was founded in 2017 by Daniel Lloyd & Andrew Ayodeji as a tool to bridge the gap between policy & culture on Long Island, NY. With a mission to represent Minorities & Millennials in policies that impact our future.

We accomplish this by empowering this generation and those thereafter with POLICY changes that remove obstacles to attaining and maintaining success. We work to develop ideas that solve problems in our community, create a shared consciousness of environments that promotes innovation and advocate for an inclusive and equitable quality education, healthcare and economic opportunities.

The organization also train and educate new leadership and develop initiatives to build wealth, home ownership and political equity for the sustainability of our country.

The organization provides forums for minorities & millennials to network, problem solve, and obtain advice on critical issues facing their professional & personal development.

Members benefit from our committees, educational programs, career resources, research capabilities, mentoring opportunities, and business advisory services.

Listen to more Causeartist podcast here.

Full Interview

[00:00]

Host (Grant):

Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of the Disruptors for Good podcast. Today, we’re talking with Daniel Lloyd, the founder and president of Minority Millennials. The organisation was created to bridge the gap between policy and culture, focusing on representing minority millennials in policies that directly impact their future and America’s future. What drew me to this conversation is their focus on policy, which I think is one of the most effective ways to create lasting change. We’re going to discuss their work in policy, the recent protests, COVID, and how all these things affect the communities they serve. I’m really excited for this conversation.

Before we dive in, I want to share a quick update—our project Social Impact Wire is moving toward beta testing, which I’m super excited about. It’s been months in the making, and it’s designed to be a news platform for the social impact space. I’ll have more updates soon! Now, let’s get into today’s episode with Daniel.

[06:15]

Host (Grant):

I usually like to start with a guest’s journey. What led you to start Minority Millennials? How did you get to this point in your life?

Daniel Lloyd:

Thanks, Grant. I’m really grateful for this opportunity. My journey is unique. I’m 34 now, and it’s taken me a long time to be okay with who I am and accept where I come from. I was adopted, and my mother is white, so growing up with a biracial family in a suburban Long Island neighborhood brought its challenges, especially with identity. On top of that, I’m also a pastor’s son and a nonprofit kid, so giving back to the community was always a part of my upbringing. But like most young people, I resisted it for a while. I played sports, went to Rutgers to play ball, and even started a record label with friends in my 20s. I spent a lot of time in the music industry before I moved back to Long Island around age 30. That’s when I started to realise what my purpose was—helping minority millennials navigate the system and fight for equity. That’s how Minority Millennials was born three years ago.

[08:26]

Host (Grant):

Starting a nonprofit is a big commitment, man. What was the conversation like when you first decided to take this on? Was it always focused on policy?

Daniel Lloyd:

Honestly, the conversation was discouraging at first. I didn’t even want to be back in Long Island—I wanted to be in LA. But when I came back, I noticed that in my community, there was a $500 million development project happening, and none of my friends knew anything about it. They didn’t know who the developers were, who the political players were, or how this would impact our community. I’d learned a lot about being politically engaged when I was working in Newark with Cory Booker’s campaign, and I saw how political influence can transform a city. That experience showed me the importance of political engagement. So we started Minority Millennials to bridge the gap between policy and culture, to make politics more appealing to minorities and millennials.

[10:49]

Host (Grant):

That’s such a crucial point. You’ve got to make politics relatable, especially when people usually find it boring or inaccessible. What did that first year look like for the organisation? What were the issues you wanted to tackle?

Daniel Lloyd:

We started by holding forums and asking people what issues were affecting them the most. Interestingly, a lot of people didn’t even know how to articulate the problems they were facing. It showed just how disconnected they were from the political process. Through those forums, we identified three key areas: housing, student loans, and training young people to run for office. Housing on Long Island is a huge issue—it’s so expensive, and we wanted to address that through policy. We also wanted to focus on financial education and civic engagement, helping people understand how they could get involved and even run for office.

[14:36]

Host (Grant):

Housing is such a pressing issue everywhere. What specific policies did you look at in that area? Were you trying to change existing policies, or were you advocating for new ones?

Daniel Lloyd:

It’s a bit of both. On Long Island, zoning laws are a major barrier to affordable housing. Developers can’t build enough units because the zoning doesn’t allow for higher-density projects. That drives up the cost of housing. So one aspect of our work was developing relationships with developers and local officials to advocate for zoning changes. We also had to engage with homeowners who didn’t want large developments in their neighborhoods. It’s a lot of relationship-building and educating people on why these developments are necessary if we want to make housing more affordable.

[18:39]

Host (Grant):

2020 has been a whirlwind, with COVID, the protests, and everything in between. How has the organisation adapted during this time?

Daniel Lloyd:

We started off 2020 full steam ahead. We had just signed contracts with major banks and news platforms, and we were ready for a year of in-person events. Then COVID hit, and we had to pivot quickly. We transitioned everything online—webinars, virtual conversations, and resources for our community. A lot of our members were directly affected by COVID, losing family members and struggling with things like unemployment. So we became a resource hub for young people of color, helping them navigate this challenging time. We also started to have important conversations about the impact of COVID on communities of color and what could be done to address those disparities.

[22:55]

Host (Grant):

With the protests and the calls to defund the police, what role is Minority Millennials playing in that conversation? Are you working directly with law enforcement?

Daniel Lloyd:

We’ve been in communication with the sheriff’s office and both Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments. We’re advocating for something we call the Police Reinvestment and Opportunity Act. Instead of defunding the police, we’re asking for a reallocation of taxpayer dollars that currently go to police departments. We want those funds to be invested in healthcare, mental health programmes, housing, and food security. For example, my community is considered a food desert, and that had a direct correlation to how hard we were hit by COVID-19. Our approach is to reinvest funds into these critical areas that impact community well-being.

[27:57]

Host (Grant):

Are you seeing productive conversations with law enforcement? Do you think things will actually change this time?

Daniel Lloyd:

The conversations have been cautiously optimistic, but we’re always mindful of token action items. We’re not interested in short-term fixes or gestures that don’t lead to real change. That’s why we’re being very intentional about what we’re asking for and how we’re framing it. For example, we’re proposing a 10% reallocation of police funds—about $70 million—from the $700 million budget on Long Island. This would be invested into housing security, with a goal to create 1,000 new African American homeowners over the next 10 years. It’s a tangible goal that addresses both housing and economic inequality, and it doesn’t significantly harm the police budget.

[35:15]

Host (Grant):

You mentioned workforce development earlier. Can you tell us more about how you’re helping minority millennials access high-skilled, high-paying jobs?

Daniel Lloyd:

We’ve built partnerships with several major companies to help minority millennials access these opportunities. The problem we’ve seen is that many companies, even those with diversity initiatives, don’t have a grassroots connection to the communities they’re trying to serve. So we’re working as a bridge, helping companies reach our communities in a more authentic way. For example, in the financial industry, only about 3% of financial advisors are African American. We’re trying to change that by connecting our members with development programmes that provide training and career opportunities.

[40:51]

Host (Grant):

Where do you see the future of Minority Millennials in the next 3 to 5 years?

Daniel Lloyd:

We have our eyes set on 2024 and the next presidential election. By then, we want to have expanded our work nationally. Our goal is to build a network of Minority Millennials organisations in different states, all focused on workforce development, economic development, and civic engagement. If we can show proof of progress—more homeowners, more people with financial security, more minority millennials running for office—we’ll be in a strong position to influence the conversation leading up to 2024.

[46:55]

Host (Grant):

Thank you so much for your time, Daniel. What you and your team are doing is amazing, and I look forward to seeing how Minority Millennials grows in the future!

Daniel Lloyd:

Thanks so much, Grant. I really appreciate it!