Statue of Former Mayor Marion Barry Unveiled (photos)


Former D.C. Mayor Marion S. Barry Jr. was honored with a larger-than-life tooled bronze statue, unveiled March 3 outside of the John A. Wilson Building at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in Washington, D.C. Barry served four terms as mayor and 16 years on the District Council prior to his death in November of 2014 at age 78.

One of three African Americans with a full-body statue erected and standing in Washington, D.C., Barry is the first local elected official to be honored with a statue.

The 8-foot statue was designed by artist Steven Weitzman of Brentwood, Maryland, who was commissioned for the project by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Taking part in the dedication ceremony were Mayor Muriel Bowser; Council Chairman Phil Mendelson; Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton; Barry’s widow, Cora Masters Barry, founder and president of the Marion Barry Jr. Legacy Foundation; Michael C. Rogers, chairman of the D.C. Commission to Commemorate and Recognize the Honorable Marion S. Barry, Jr.; Arthur Espinoza Jr., executive director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; and sculptor Steven Weitzman of Weitzman Studios.

Also in attendance was Council member and former D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray. Radio DJ Donnie Simpson served as master of ceremonies. The men, women and children of the Washington Performing Arts Gospel Choir, directed by Michele Fowlin, sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and the men of Alpha Phi Alpha sang the “Fraternal Hymn.”

View Jeff Malet’s photos of the Marion Barry statue dedication by clicking on the photo icons below.

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