Marion Barry is a member of the D.C. Council who served four terms as mayor of the District. (Courtesy Photo)
Radio One Inc., the largest corporate conglomeration of Black radio stations in the country that is owned by an African-American woman, recently honored D.C. Council member Marion Barry for his decades of service in a unique manner.
Radio One, based in Silver Spring, Md., and owned by well-known Black entrepreneur Cathy Hughes, declared Oct. 23 “Marion Barry Day” and had the former four-term mayor in its studio for five radio shows that were broadcast nationally.
He started his day on Winston Chaney’s show (WYCB 1340 AM) that started at 9 a.m. and was the guest of shows hosted by Cheryl Jackson (WRPS 104.1 FM); Michel Wright (WMMJ 102.3 FM), EZ Street (WKYS 93.9 FM) and Carl Nelson (WOL 1450 AM).
“We are excited to highlight a lifetime of accomplishments that have been at the forefront of Marion Barry’s political career,” Alan Leinwand, Radio One’s vice president for marketing, said at the reception that capped the day’s activities.
Radio One owns and operates over 54 broadcast stations located in 16 urban markets. It also has operations in social media and Internet offerings. Hughes owns 51 percent of TV One Inc., a Black-oriented television network.
Barry has served as mayor of the District from 1979-1991, and from 1995-1999. He was a member of the District’s school board from 1971-1974, served as an at-large D.C. council member from 1974-1979 and served as a Ward 8 representative from 1993-1995 and from 2005 to the present.
As mayor, Barry was praised for his youth summer jobs program initiative, increasing District minority contracting opportunities from three percent to 47 percent of all government work and hiring professional Blacks in large numbers to manage the city government.
Throughout the day, Barry answered questions put forth by the hosts and listeners. He also used the broadcasts to promote his book, “Mayor for Life: The Incredible Story of Marion Barry Jr.”
“Many people know me through 15 seconds sound bites but this book tells my story from the very beginning,” Barry said on WKYS 93.9. “I was born poor and Black in Mississippi and my parents were sharecroppers. When my family got tired of that, we moved to Memphis, where I was raised.”
Marion Barry is a member of the D.C. Council who served four terms as mayor of the District. (AFRO File Photo)
On WKYS, Barry encouraged his listeners to be persistent in achieving their goals despite obstacles.
“You can overcome if you aspire to do so,” he said. “Get off the pity party.”
Oct. 23 is not Barry’s birthday but was the best day that the council member and the company could get together.
“Ever since the book came out in June, we have been talking with Radio One about coming on one of the shows to talk about his book,” LaToya Foster, Barry’s spokeswoman, said. “Mrs. Hughes suggested that instead of one show, there should be a ‘Marion Barry’ day to recognize the council member’s contributions to the city. We took it from there.”
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, National Urban League President Marc Morial and the Rev. Al Sharpton called in and made complimentary remarks about Barry. District leaders in various fields, such as D.C. Council member and Democratic mayoral nominee Muriel Bowser; former D.C. Council member and independent mayoral candidate Carol Schwartz; Ward 8 activist Philip Pannell; media personalities Roach Brown and Rock Newman and former District first lady Cora Masters Barry accompanied Barry at the station or attended the reception. Barry was feted for 40 years of public service.
“Marion Barry may have been birthed in Mississippi and raised in Memphis but he is all D.C.,” Kamal Ben Ali, the chief operator of Ben’s Chili Bowl, said. “Barry was the author of the revitalization of U Street and responsible for the success of people like Bob Johnson and Don Peebles as well as responsible for the development of ‘Ward 9’ .”
The Rev. Willie Wilson, senior pastor of the Union Temple Baptist Church and a longtime Barry friend, said “it is important to acknowledge people while there are still here.”
“Marion Barry is a man who loves people, particularly the downtrodden and dispossessed,” Wilson said.
Barry thanked Hughes, a friend for decades, for her tenacity and vision in her business pursuits and told the reception crowd of 40 that Black media needs to be supported.
“We need to tell our own story,” he said. “Telling our own story will give our young Black people a sense of pride.”