Drum Major Institute

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is an American progressive public policy institute 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. It is under the leadership of its executive directory Andrea Batista Schlesinger.

[edit] 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.

Dr. King often used the phrase "Drum Major Instinct" meaning the instinct to be a leader. In his famous speach at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 4, 1968 he said: 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.

The Institute was led from 2002 through 2004 by Fernando Ferrer, the former Bronx Borough President. Ferrer resigned from the Institute at the end of 2004 to run for Mayor of New York City. He won the democratic nomination for Mayor in 2005, but lost to Republican Michael Bloomberg.