The Drum Major Institute Fellows Program seeks to counter the domination of the conservative right in the discussion about public policy by cultivating New York City's most talented up-and-coming progressives. DMI's first-rate Fellows program will take on the institutes of the right, but not by matching them policy wonk for policy wonk. Instead, we will pioneer a new model that gives a platform to progressive leaders working in the communities of New York City. From the founder of Brooklyn's first black-run credit union, to a pioneering advocate for environmental justice and sustainable development in the South Bronx, to the organizer of a grassroots student activist and leadership training organization at Hunter College in Manhattan, quite literally, the DMI Fellows not only span the physical city, but a range of pressing issues its residents care about. With a combination of their talent and experience, and our rigorous research support, communications training, and aggressive dissemination and placement of their work, DMI aims to change the face of discussion about public policy in this city.

Kia Franklin
Kia C. Franklin joined The Drum Major Institute in 2007 as a senior fellow in civil justice. Kia’s work focuses on promoting and strengthening the civil legal rights of ordinary Americans. Her research examines how the civil court system protects and empowers people, focusing on the ways in which corporate power influences access to the courts. Kia has represented DMI on local and national coalitions and to advocacy groups working to protect Americans’ legal rights. She has published reports and law review articles on critical civil justice issues, and presented her work to a variety of legal and media watchdog groups around the country. Her essays on major legal topics have appeared in The Nation, the Houston Chronicle, Newsday, and The Root. Kia is managing editor of TortDeform.com, a widely recognized source in the blogosphere of lively debate on civil justice issues and the dangers of tort “reform.� Kia earned her BA in political science and African and African-American studies from Stanford University, and her JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

The Latest from Kia Franklin
Screwed by the Fine Print, February 10, 2009
Obama, McCain views of unequal-pay case are revealing, October 21, 2008
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