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The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is a public policy institute (think tank) founded during the Civil Rights Movement. Its primary focus is on the economic issues of the middle class, and the idea that government can be a force for good, under the leadership of its executive directory Andrea Batista Schlesinger.
History
The Drum Major Foundation (later Institute) was founded in 1961 by Harry Wachtel, a New York City lawyer who was an advisor to Martin Luther King Jr.. The organization became more or less defunct for several years after King's death, but was relaunched in 1999 by Martin Luther King III, William B. Wachtel (Harry's son) and Ambassador Andrew Young.
The name was taken from a speech given by Dr. King on February 4, 1968: "If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice, say that I was a drum major for peace, say that I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter... I just want to leave a committed life behind."
Board of directors
As of 2006
- John Catsimatidis, Red Apple Group
- Bruce Charash
- Cecilia Clarke, Sadie Nash Leadership Project
- Sandra Cuneo, Trial Lawyers Care
- Rosanna M. Durruthy, Aequus Group
- Stuart Feldman, Chelsey Capital
- Matthew Goldstein, City University of New York
- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Waterkeeper Alliance
- Martin Luther King III, Co-Founder, The King Center
- Daniel T. McGowan, Health Insurance Plan of New York (HIP)
- Chris McNickle, Greenwich Associates
- Bernard Nussbaum, former White House Counsel, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
- Morris Pearl, BlackRock
- William B. Wachtel, Co-Founder, Wachtel & Masyr, LLP
- Tom Watson (journalist), Changing Our World
- Randi Weingarten, United Federation of Teachers
- Melvyn I. Weiss, Milberg Weiss
- Jennefer Witter, The Boreland Group Inc.
- Ambassador Andrew Young, Chairman Good Works International, LLC
- Andrew Young III, Young Solutions
External links
"Drum Major Institute"