"It was like a war. You change your tactics depending on where you are on the battlefield. I was definitely on the outer edge of society in terms of some of the programs I was moving. And society has always needed pressure to bring about basic changes." -Marion Barry
The Making of an Activist
Marion Barry was born in 1936 in Mississippi to parents who were sharecroppers. He worked hard throughout his youth and was a straight-A student. During his years as a student at LeMoyne-Owen College, Barry was active in the Civil Rights Movement.
- Youth council president of the NAACP chapter at LeMoyne-Owen College.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. was impressed with Barry's courage and ability to stand up for others rights.
- Marion Barry was committed to uplifting the community and learned that by doing this he could gain the support he needed to challenge authority. This lesson was beneficial to him when he moved to Washington, DC.
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Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
Marion Barry moved to DC in 1965 to set up the SNCC DC office, an organization that promoted nonviolent demonstrations and encouraged voter registration. In 1965, only 3% of black people in Washington DC were registered to vote. Most were unemployed, young men without working skills and from fatherless homes. In addition, Barry worked to eliminate segregation and discrimination in the social structure, education, businesses, housing neighborhoods, police and fire departments, workers unions, Social Services department, libraries and sanitation contracts.