Anacostia artery renamed for Marion Barry, D.C.’s ‘mayor for life’

Image via The Washington Post.

From The Washington Post:

The blue tarp covering the new street sign finally fell and the crowd erupted.

They had waited years to see Marion Barry Avenue rise — a name that reflected their pride in being Black Washingtonians, hope for the future of their neighborhood and resolve in cementing a shared history for future generations.

For those gathered in Anacostia on Saturday, Marion Barry Jr., the four-term D.C. mayor who died in 2014, is their “mayor for life.”

People celebrating the new street name said Barry still looms large in their lives. They called him a mentor who taught them how to use local government to advocate for their communities. He gave them their first summer jobs through a program he launched in 1979 and one that continues today. Some said they tell their children about him, teaching about his accomplishments alongside figures like Martin Luther King Jr.