November 23 will mark 10 years since Marion Barry passed away.
Growing up in the 90s as a white kid in the DMV Barry was the butt of a lot of jokes in my childhood. But as I grew into my 30s I came to see another side of Barry. As video professional I would see Barry out and about in the community – attending press conferences, opening banks or acting in other ceremonial capacities. It was very clear he was well loved – not universally perhaps, but very deeply and he had earned a reverence and deep appreciation amongst his people.
Before passing, Barry wrote a last will and testament saying he wanted his body carried by horse drawn carriage from the Wilson building through the streets of Anacostia – he wanted to say goodbye to his people one last time.
I knew that was going to be something special. I grabbed my camera and jumped on a bike and set out to photograph, video, and interview the people along the processional. Almost every person of color I spoke with had a story about how Barry had personally helped them in a profound way – a housing program he initiated which allowed them to buy their first home, a jobs program Barry created which blossomed into a career, a scholarship which allowed someone to go to school, a loan program he initiated which allowed a business to succeed.
Barry was no saint. Few of us are. But he helped so many people. He deserves to be recognized for the good he brought to the people of DC. His presence is sorely lacking in today’s Washington and we are poorer for it.
If you’re interested in learning more about Barry I recommend this excellent book by Tom Sherwood and Harry Jaffe
“Marion Barry is important to the history of Washington DC. I came here in 1967 and Marion Barry’s activism and contributions were always present since I’ve arrived.
And not just in the city. Many people of wealth in Prince George’s county benefited from Marion Barry’s programs and contracts. And not only contracts, many of the major companies survived on opportunities for capital. Marion Barry opened capital to black people in particular and other people of color. Marion Barry open that to everyone, he diversified access to capital. Marion Barry’s activism and contributions were always present since I’ve arrived. Whether as an activist or going into the school board and limited home rule we’ve achieved during that period. There’s not much in life that hasn’t involved him”
I wanted to come out here mainly because I wouldn’t have had a home without Marion Barry – he’s the one who set the foundation for the home that I live in in right now.
In 1995 he initiated an affordable housing program – they called it the HPAP program – 132 were made available at a discount you could afford. Barry felt people should own their homes instead of renting apartments and he fixed it so it would be affordable. I got a three bedroom, living room, dinning room kitchen and also it cost me 109,000″
“We’re not from DC, I came here in 1970 and I’m telling you this really is not the real world because a lot of these places that you go to now, you would not have these opportunities that you have had in DC. He made it possible for us. Its true. I tell people, I came from Kentucky and the things that people have the opportunity to do, right now you could not do that in Kentucky.
Woman on left side “Barry is the only one in #ward8 that was interacting with Ward 8. He comes to this park right here and plays horseshoes”.
The woman in the middle was mute but half way through our conversation she turned towards her friend and pantomimed ‘The new mayor never comes around here. Barry did”.
“Yes, he was a good man. He was trying to be mayor and we voted for him every time.
Marion Barry was a good man because he had remodeled all the schools around Fourth street. He helped remodel Ballou. He gave Hart new windows.
I feel very bad that he passed away because he won’t be able to make anymore schools.
