Former DC Mayor Marion Barry Dies at 78

Marion S. Barry was an African American politician. He was the first black activist to have been elected mayor of the District of Columbia, and was currently member of the Council of the District of Columbia, representing Washington D.C’s Ward 8. In the 1960’s, Barry was involved in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, serving as a chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which gave him his start in D.C politics. During his time serving as the mayor, Marion Barry did things that both helped and hurt the City of Washington and its people. Marion Barry died early Sunday at United Medical Center in Washington. He was 78. The D.C. medical examiner said Sunday evening that Mr. Barry died of a cardiovascular disease, with kidney disease and diabetes contributing to his death.

During his time leading the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee SNCC, Barry led protests against racial segregation and discrimination in Washington D.C. During his time as the mayor he spent millions of tax dollars into summer jobs programs, senior centers and an array of social welfare programs that ranked among the most generous in the whole country. He also used the city’s bureaucracy as an employment program to help foster the growth of the black middle class, hiring more municipal employees than any other city in America. He created an organization named Pride which helped people who couldn't get jobs to work. These people were usually male African American who had served jail time and were given a criminal record afterwards.