The widow of former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry found an ad campaign that mocked her husband as racist and disgusting, but she told News4 she found a positive amid the controversy.
Last month, D.C.-based pizza chain &pizza introduced an ad campaign for a new dessert called Marion Berry Knots, the ads used words and imagery that referenced substance abuse and made light of Barry’s drug arrest.
“There’s no words to describe how bad it was, not just because of the implications of how they were attacking my husband’s legacy, but also to market a product that glorifies the use of drugs in a community speaks to a choice that somebody made that isn’t good,” said Barry’s widow, Cora Masters Barry.
The ads sparked protests and backlash from the community and a cease-and-desist letter from Masters Barry.
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Initially, &pizza doubled down, with the CEO saying in a statement, “We’re talking about a marionberry, that’s spelled with an ‘e’. We stuff that into a knot, drizzle it with icing and then top it with powdered sugar. It’s delicious – we can’t wait for D.C. to try it.”
But the company eventually apologized, admitted it was wrong and pulled the dessert from its menu.
“But the end of it, as it relates to Marion, it elevated his legacy,” Masters Barry said she found. “It made people stop and think about him, that maybe the younger hadn’t thought about him, and the next thing you knew, they were in a protest. So, it helped the community — one, to say not in Washington, and also we will stand up and fight for, not only our legacies, but also our community. So, it was a blessing in disguise.”
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Nov. 23 will mark 10-years since the death of D.C.’s “Mayor for Life.” The city plans to honor him that day with the unveiling of a special mural.
Masters Barry shared her message for &pizza’s leadership.
“So, I say to you, learn the history of Washington, D.C.,” she said. “Come to the mural and see who Marion Barry was. Do some homework and you would understand why people were offended. Not because they loved him. Because it was just wrong.”
Lawyers for Masters Barry will meet with the heads of &pizza next week.
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