Remembering a hero and champion: Marion S. Barry Jr.

By Askia Muhammad -Senior Editor- | Last updated: Nov 26, 2014 - 6:26:34 PM

(R) Kaneisha Tiller, far left, and Crystal Hamilton, hold candles during a vigil to honor former mayor and D.C. City Council member Marion Barry, in Washington, D.C. (L) Flowers are seen on gate post in front of the Barry home before a vigil to honor the former Mayor who died Nov. 23.

Statement from the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan on the passing of the Honorable Mayor Marion S. Barry, Jr.

Marion S. Barry Jr., former four-time District of Columbia Mayor and three term Ward 8 Council member, died early Nov. 23 at the District’s United Medical Center, after he was released earlier in the evening from Howard University Hospital.

The legendary political icon was admitted Nov. 20 to Howard Hospital because he was not feeling well, according to his D.C. council spokeswoman LaToya Foster.

Marion S. Barry Jr., a former four-time District of Columbia Mayor and three term Ward 8 Council member. Photo: AP/Wide World photos

Mr. Barry was discharged Nov. 22 and reported that he was in good spirits. He went home, watched TV and went out to get something to eat. He returned home where he collapsed while getting out of his vehicle. He was 78.

Reflections and memories were still pouring in from around the country at Final Call press time including sentiments from the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam. Minister Farrakhan released a statement extending condolences to the family while praising the life, legacy and work of Mr. Barry as a giant in the liberation struggle of Black people. (Read Min. Farrakhan’s statement in its entirety.)

Mr. Barry was a steadfast supporter and advocate whose intervention was invaluable to the success of the Million Man March in 1995 held in the Nation’s Capital.

“Marion was not just a colleague but also was a friend with whom I shared many fond moments about governing the city,” Mayor Vincent Gray said in a statement. “He loved the District of Columbia and so many Washingtonians loved him.”

Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser called Mr. Barry an “inspiration to so many people and a fighter for people.” Mr. Gray ordered flags at all D.C. buildings to be flown at half-staff.

“From my earliest encounter with Marion Barry, when he was the first chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee until I came back home and found him mayor of my home town, I have seen Marion take hold and write his signature boldly on his own life and times and on the life of the nation’s capital,” D.C. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton said in a statement.

“Many took his struggle to personify in some way their own, endearing him and making him a larger-than-life figure as he became a creator of post-home-rule D.C.,” she said.

President Barack Obama also issued a statement expressing sadness on behalf of himself and Mrs. Obama which said in part:

“During his decades in elected office in D.C., he put in place historic programs to lift working people out of poverty, expand opportunity, and begin to make real the promise of home rule. Through a storied, at times tumultuous life and career, he earned the love and respect of countless Washingtonians, and Michelle and I extend our deepest sympathies to Marion’s family, friends and constituents today.”

Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio), issued a statement on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus in which she serves as chair. Mr. Barry leaves a legacy and passion that will not be forgotten said Rep. Fudge.

“A hero of the Civil Rights Movement and a longtime leader in the District of Columbia, (Mr.) Barry’s personal demons could not obscure his deep and abiding love for the city and its people,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Chair of the Democratic National Committee said. “His voice and his constant presence will be missed by the people of Ward 8 and residents across the District,” said Rep. Schultz.

Mr. Barry battled kidney problems stemming from diabetes and high blood pressure and underwent a kidney transplant in February 2009. He served as a member of the D.C. council since 2005, winning re-election twice. He was still often referred to by his admirers all over the city and the country as “Mayor Barry” despite not having held that office since 1999.

Mr. Barry was first elected mayor in 1978 after building a political career as an official of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and as a local activist in Washington. He was re-elected in 1982 and 1986, and again in 1994.

“I want to take the boards off of houses and put people in them,” Mr. Barry said shortly after being sworn in in 1979. “I want to provide minimal care for all people, regardless of their financial situation. And I want to live out (Dr. Martin Luther) King’s legacy of peace, brotherhood and survival.”

Despite embarrassing episodes because he was a self-described “night owl,” and because of a misdemeanor drug conviction after a multi-million dollar investigation and sting in a downtown hotel in 1993, Mr. Barry is remembered most for being a “champion” who opened the door to Blacks in the D.C. government; for establishing a popular summer job program which guaranteed work for every high-school-age youth in the city; for advocating on behalf of and delivering city services to the elderly and to citizens returning from incarceration.

Marion Barry’s death at age 78, is clearly the end of an era, because, as he said of himself, he was a voice for the “last, the lost, and the least.”

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