A local pizza chain is working to make amends with the community after removing its drug-themed dessert that poked fun at the late D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.
The item has been discontinued and the company has since apologized. But the backlash has continued since last week, prompting &pizza to release a statement Thursday making promises to the community.
Those commitments come after &pizza executives, including its CEO Mike Burns, met with protesters who are boycotting the chain to discuss next steps.
“We take full accountability for our misstep and wholeheartedly apologize to Mrs. Cora Masters Barry and to those we let down,” &pizza wrote in the post.
That apology comes after lawyers representing the estate of late D.C. Mayor Marion Barry sent a letter to Burns, threatening to sue over the pizza chain’s use of Barry’s likeness and demanding a personal apology for Cora Masters Barry.
Boycott to continue
The activists that met with &pizza are part of the “Knot in DC Coalition,” with the Don’t Mute D.C. organization.
Ronald Moten, one of the founders of the organization, was a part of those meetings. He said the boycott would be called off only after &pizza implements the plan it outlined in Thursday’s letter.
“If they move forward with all the actions that were in the letter, it will be a good thing for them and to repair some of the damage over time with our community,” Moten said.
But he said the protesters are hoping to end the boycott.
“We’re not in putting people out of business if we don’t have to, because people from our community work in the majority of those 53 stores,” Moten told WTOP.
&pizza wrote that it will continue to meet with the Knot in DC Coalition and other organizations moving forward.
“Together, we discussed a range of initiatives that &pizza will take to demonstrate our steadfast commitment to accountability, peace, and working towards a world that prioritizes humanity and social justice,” &pizza wrote.
Some of the promises in the letter include:
- Making partnerships with minority-owned businesses in D.C.
- Investing in an internship program for local high school and HBCU students to intern at &pizza
- Aiding programs that invest in underserved communities, including job training and mentorship
- Diversity training
- Donating to racial justice and system inequality organizations involved with D.C.
One point that’s particularly important to the group is hiring someone from the D.C. community to be a leader at &pizza.
“If they had somebody from our community there, this would have never happened,” Moten told WTOP. “They would know that this was going to be something that would offend our community.”
Moten said he hopes the changes will help repair the damage done to the community by the satirical dessert.
“We want to make sure that they repair the damage done to Mr. Barry’s legacy with Mrs. Cora Masters Barry as well, and they assured us that they would want to work those things out with them as well,” Moten said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
