TMOTTGoGo Magazine - December 2014

TMOTTGoGo Magazine | December 2014 |


(gadoimages.photoshelter.com)

was an American politician who served as the second Mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth May-or from 1995 to 1999. A Democrat, Barry had served three tenures on the Council of the District of Columbia, representing as an at-large member from 1975 to 1979 and in Ward 8 from 1993 to 1995 and again from 2005 to 2014. In the 1960s he was involved in the Af-rican-American civil rights movement, first as a member of the Nash-ville Student Movement sit-ins and then serving as the first chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Barry came to national prominence as mayor of the national capital, the first prominent civil-rights activist to become chief executive of a major American city; he gave the presidential nomination speech for Jesse Jackson at the 1984 Democratic National Convention. His celebrity transformed into international notoriety in January 1990, when he was videotaped smoking crack cocaine and arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials on drug charges. The arrest and subsequent trial precluded Barry seeking re-election, and he served six months in a federal prison. After his release, however, he was elected to the Council of the District of Columbia in 1992 and ultimately returned to the mayoralty in 1994, serving from 1995 to 1999.

Despite his history of political and legal controversies, Barry was a popular and influential figure in the local political scene of Washing-ton, D.C. The alternative weekly Washington City Paper nicknamed him “Mayor for life,” a designation that remained long after Barry left the mayoralty.[3] The Washington Post has stated that “to under-stand the District of Columbia, one must understand Marion Barry.”

Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr.March 6, 1936 – November 23, 2014

Mayor 4 Life

DECEMBER 2014

Photo by Howard Sochurek of LIFE Magazine

Undergraduate studies at LeMoyne College - 1958Master’s degree, Nashville Student Movement, SNCC - 1960Doctoral studiesWorking for SNCCD.C. Board of Education (1971–1974)D.C. Council (1974–1979)Washington, D.C. Mayor (1979–1991)Political comeback (1992–1994)D.C. Mayor fourth term (1995–1999)D.C. Council (2002–2014)

(Washington Post)

HOODIES & TEES

VISIT: www.tmottgogo.com

TMOTTGoGo Magazine | December 2014 | Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times


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Sons and daughters of Washington, DC’s Marion Barry era are in mourning today upon hearing the news this morn-ing that the legendary civil rights leader and former mayor of the city has died. Marion Barry had a significant impact on DC area’s Generation X, thanks to his summer jobs program that employed and empowered many young people in a way that no area leader had before or has since, as surmised by their an-ecdotes. High esteem for Mayor Barry was deeply felt and powerfully sincere among many DC area residents, but also quite obviously a dividing line by race, class, and personal and family history. At times when Barry was cov-ered negatively in the press, many of his supporters identified not only with the given newsworthy circumstance, but the sentiment that major media outlets shed more light on one’s personal flaws than on one’s public prosocial deeds. Unlike other local politicians who have been accused of pandering to the go-go community when it best suited their political needs, Marion Barry managed

to be continually regarded as a per-sonal friend to go-go, even after media reports highlighted his support for the so-called ‘go-go crackdown.’

Mayor Barry was one of the featured commentators on “Washington in the ’80s” and a major topic, himself, of the documentary that debuted just last week on PBS affiliate WETA. One of the very best representations of his legacy and what he has meant to his supporters was captured in April 2013 by “Mayor of DC Hip Hop” Head-Roc in a song entitled “Mayor 4 Life (Tribute to Marion Barry).”

By Tahira Chloe [email protected]


Three days of services have been planned for former mayor and D.C. Council member Marion Barry, who passed away on Sun-day at the age of 78.

Starting on Dec. 4, Barry’s body will lie in repose in the Wilson Building for 24 hours. The building will remain open to the pub-lic for the full period his body lies in repose.

On Dec. 5, his body will be transported from the Wilson Building to the Temple of Praise on Southern Avenue SE for a musical and video tribute and community memorial service. The proces-sional from the Wilson Building to the Temple of Praise will trav-el through the city’s eight wards.

On Dec. 6, a public memorial service will be held at the Washing-ton Convention Center. A private burial will follow.

Two books of condolence will be available in the lobby of the Wilson Building through 5:30 today and from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28.

Three D

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Oliver Johnson, Jr., holds an acrylic painting he did of former Mayor Marion Barry and Chuck Brown, during a vigil to honor former Mayor and current DC City Council

member Marion Barry, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, in Washington


Images of the Big Chair, which is located in the heart of Anacostia, SE Washington DC, being draped as Ward 8 and the rest of Washington DC mourns Marion Barry, who passed away early Sunday morning, November 23, 2014.

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Generations of Teens Who Got Their First Employment Experi-

ence UnderMarion Barry’s SYEP

See this picture right here? It was tak-en in 1981 during a Street Theatre re-hearsal of gospel musical entitled “Spirit Song”. This production consisted of an entire cast and crew of about 50 or more teens (mostly students from the Duke El-lington School of the Arts) who were all employees under Mayor Marion Barry’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). This was because Street The-atre (a Mike Malone Production) was a program under Barry’s SYEP. (That’s me in the bottom left corner.)

Therefore, our job for that entire summer consisted of rehearsing and putting on this musical production throughout the parks and neighborhoods of Washing-ton, DC. I was 16 years at the time. And because of Mayor Marion Barry, we were getting paid for doing a craft that we all loved so much. In fact, it helped mold us as we went into different areas of our lives continuing in this field.

For example (in the photo above):

By Kato Hammond@TMOTTGoGo


Matt Dickens (RIP, standing far left in red) – went on to become a professional dancer and actor and can be seen in episodes of televi-sion’s “A Different World”. George Dick (looking up in purple) – starred in the Channel 9 series “In Our Lives”, and went later went on into producing music. Tony Terry (in burgundy with his back turned) – went on to become a successful music artist, with hits such as, “When I’m With You”, “Lovey Dovey Feeling”, and “She’s Fly”. Terrence Riggins (with muscles standing in center) – went on to become a professional, successful actor, starring in movies, such as “What’s Love Got To Do With It” and “The Jes-se Owens Story”. Chuck Byrd (stooping directly behind Ter-rence) – went on to become a professional ac-tor, playing in “Good To Go” and other movies, and in television programs, such as “Martin” and “Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper”.

Sean Hawkins (hovering behind Chuck, with mouth open) – starred in “Buddies” (the play I wrote that was featured Off-Broad-way, starring Denzel Washington and An-na-Maria Horsford).

And we ALL worked as teens under the program created for us by Mayor For Life Marion Barry.

Since the passing of Marion Barry yester-day, there is so much that so many people are remembering in the ways that Marion Barry has played a part in the growth of their lives. Memories that are just coming back. Some that we haven’t even thought about in a long time. And in thinking about these moments, it donned on me. Just about every single teen from my generation on started working careers under Marion Bar-ry’s SYEP. I honestly didn’t know that… or rather, never really thought about it like that.

TMOTTGoGo Magazine - December 2014

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