by Daron Pressley
May 30, 2025
The Policy & Culture Podcast serves as a blueprint for transforming passive observers into powerful participants.
Dan Lloyd and Drew Ayodeji are more than The Policy & Culture Podcast co-hosts—they’re lifelong friends dedicated to making civic education a part of everyday culture. According to a recent United Way study, nearly one-third of Gen Zers (32%) are regularly engaged in activism or social justice work, demonstrating a significant commitment to societal change among Gen Z.
Lloyd and Ayodeji were raised on Long Island and have spent years developing grassroots solutions to generational challenges in Black and Brown communities. Lloyd is a social entrepreneur and political strategist who founded Minority Millennials and currently manages a multimillion-dollar startup innovation portfolio as the program director of Accelerate Long Island. He also serves as a senior advisor for the Town of Babylon’s Economic Inclusion Initiative and was appointed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council.
Ayodeji, a former All-Long Island basketball standout, is the founder of MACK Academy, where he uses sports as a platform to mentor young men and prevent violence. Together with Lloyd, he co-founded Minority Millennials to bridge the gap between access and opportunity, helping young people secure meaningful careers, build wealth, and become civically engaged.
That lifelong commitment to empowerment inspired the concept behind The Policy & Culture Podcast, a platform they describe as more than just conversation—it’s a movement.
Translating Power into Everyday Language
“The idea for Policy & Culture came from lived experience,” Lloyd says. “We saw how policies—whether local zoning laws or federal funding decisions—shaped the conditions in our communities. But we also saw that those communities were rarely part of the conversation.”
They believed the problem wasn’t a lack of intelligence or concern, but rather a lack of access, translation, and trust. So they asked: What if civic knowledge felt more like culture—something you live, share, and even wear?
Unlike traditional think tanks or educational platforms, Policy & Culture isn’t driven by career politicians. “We’re not insiders. We’re organizers and advocates who learned how the system works without changing who we are,” Ayodeji says.
And that authenticity makes a difference. “Politics isn’t separate from your daily life,” he continues. “It’s the reason behind your rent, commute, and healthcare options. You’re already affected by it—so why not learn how to influence it?”
The Pillars of Power: Energy, Economy, and Employment
The podcast’s three guiding pillars are clean energy, economic freedom, and workforce development. Lloyd and Ayodeji deliberately selected these areas because they represent long-term impact and are frequently overlooked in popular political discourse.
“These pillars shape the next 100 years of our communities—whether we’re involved or not,” Lloyd explains. “Clean energy isn’t just about the environment; it’s about creating future-ready jobs and living in balance. Economic freedom means not just surviving, but building abundance. Workforce development is about giving people the tools to thrive in a changing economy.”
Each episode connects these complex topics to real-life decisions—how a clean energy bill might create local jobs, how city budgets reflect community priorities, or how a tax incentive could change someone’s paycheck.
By linking policy to daily life, Policy & Culture helps listeners recognize that they are not merely affected by systems but are also capable of influencing them.
From Awareness to Action: Empowering a New Generation
A central theme of the podcast is shifting the perspective from “politics is done to me” to “politics is done by me.”
“Power is always at play,” Lloyd says. “The question is—are you at the table or just dealing with the outcome? No one likes being taken advantage of. The only way to avoid that is to participate.” He encourages listeners to start small: attend a meeting, ask questions, and share what they’ve learned. “Even curiosity is a form of resistance,” he adds.
And success isn’t defined by download numbers. “We measure success when someone says, ‘That episode helped me understand my city council,’ or ‘I finally get how public budgets affect my neighborhood,’” says Ayodeji. The ultimate goal? To significantly boost civic engagement in communities that have historically been excluded from power, especially working-class Black and Brown families.
“When people understand the game,” Lloyd says, “they start playing to win.”
“And that’s when real change begins,” adds Ayodeji.
The Policy & Culture Podcast serves as a blueprint for transforming passive observers into powerful participants. With bold conversations and grounded insights, Lloyd and Ayodeji are helping a new generation redefine civic power and who it belongs to.
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