A new mural honoring the life and legacy of former Mayor and D.C. Council member Marion Barry will be unveiled in Northwest on Saturday morning, a decade after his death.
Cora Masters Barry, the wife of the late mayor, joined WTOP anchors John Aaron and Michelle Basch on Tuesday morning to discuss the unveiling event.
“The reason it’s taking place is, we know that Marion has a great following in the District of Columbia and then, there are many people who don’t know about him, many new people in the city who say, ‘What’s this Marion Barry about?,'” she said.
Barry’s widow said today’s public knows “about the sensationalism of his perceived drug problem, which, of course, we know in today’s world, is pretty much understood as not a crime, but an illness,” but they may not know about his positive contributions to the District.
“We wouldn’t have a Capital One Arena if Marion Barry and Abe Polin didn’t get together. Marion insisted upon having that arena placed in that place, and that is why we have that whole renovation of that area,” adding that Barry’s summer jobs program launched thousands of careers for young people in D.C.
“If I go to the grocery store, somebody is going to say, ‘I got my first job from Marion Barry,'” she said. “So his legacy is deep in this community, but it is not well known by the new people who have come here, or some of the people who were there before, but didn’t understand the business of it.”
She told WTOP that “The Marion Barry, Jr. Mural,” designed by D.C. artist Nabeeh “Nabi” Bilal and his team at Creative Junk Food, LLC “speaks to the history of his contribution and the people along with him. As a matter of fact — fun fact — the person that helped Marion initially with the summer jobs program was Nancy Reagan.”
It will be located in the lobby of the Marion Barry, Jr. Building, located at 441 4th Street, formerly known as One Judiciary Square.
‘I always think something positive comes out of negative’
The former D.C. first lady, who is also founder and CEO of the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center, the Recreation Wish List Committee and the Marion Barry, Jr. Legacy Foundation, also discussed the recent controversy involving her husband’s legacy and D.C. restaurant chain &pizza.
“The community rose up and fought against it, and it’s always good to see community activism. But it also pointed to the need of people to get more educated and more informed about who Marion was, or who this city is,” she said. “On the heels of that, is the mural unveiling, so it kind of went together.”
“I always think something positive comes out of negative. Or, you know, people will call it a silver lining, or my expression, ‘The devil may have bought it, but God sent it.'”
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