Host did you ever do the post . Guest never did. Oh. Host where was this picture taken . Guest the first decent apartment i had in new york. Recently divorced, single mother in my late 20s. It was on the Upper West Side and my 2yearold daughters window looked out on the fire escape. Host quick preview of daring my passages anymore in the fall. You are watching the booktv on cspan2. Now on booktv marion berry discusses his up bringing in mississippi, his early political activism and experiences as the mayor of washington, d. C. He also talks about the scandals that almost ruined him from his time in prison for cocaine possession in dc politics following the release. This is just over an hour. Good evening everybody. Welcome to the National Press club for this special events. I am Eleanor Herman and im a member of the club book and author committee. We are very glad youve come to this event and we hope you enjoy it. The club has 15 or 20 of these every year on a variety of books fiction and nonfiction. So if you are not already on the email list and would like to learn the future events please see me after the events an eveni will put you on our email list. Its usually about one month that yoin amonth that you will. Speaking of the future events i want to just tell you of some coming up in july all of which begin at 6 30 p. M. Unless otherwise noted. Tuesday july 8 tom will discuss his new book an idea whose time has come, two president s, parties and the battle for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. On wednesday july 9, brad will discuss his novel act of war. Tuesday july 15, 0 present his military sand and fire and on tuesday, july 22 at 6 p. M. , the book innovative state how new technology can transform government. So this will be a good time for you to silence your cell phone please. The order of events for this is as follows. Im going to introduce the guest and then have a conversation with him and after that you can ask questions just raise your hand and one of our Committee Members will come around with a microphone and when we have run out of time for questions because i imagine there will be quite a few he will be signing your books. And ive also been told by the management once you are done with that we are having jazz night in the bar upstairs with a live band so you might want to go and check that out. Marianne was born in 193 1936 ia tiny town in mississippi and picked cotton as a child. When marion was eight his mother left his father whom he never saw again and moved them us. He was inducted into the National Honor society in high school and received a degree in chemistry from the college of memphis and his masters degree in chemistry from Fisk University in nashville in 1960. He completed all course is required for the doctoral degree at the university of kansas where he studied quantitative organic compounds. Thats a suppose. [laughter] he was the cofounder of the Civil Rights Group the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee which was active in the voter registratio registrate desegregation of the deep south in the time it was a very dangerous thing to do. In 1964 the organization sent him to dc where he won a seat on the school board in 1971 and became a Council Member in 1974. He served as the second elected mayor in the District Of Columbia from 1979 until 1991 and again as the fourth major from 1995 to 1999. He has been a member of the dc council representing number eight untold 2005. Despite a life of many accomplishments and we just heard a few of them come hes known mostly for a few minutes on a videotape and 1990 and while we will get to that later i would like to use this time tonight to explore the other aspects that i didnt know about unflavored your book and im sure that many people here tonight would also like to know. For instance one thing that surprised me is you were one of the first eagle scouts of memphis and as a mother of two eagle scouts i would like to ask you i bet youve never gotten this question even before. What was your favorite badge and what did you learn from scouting . [laughter] camping and birdwatching. With the girl watching or birdwatching . [laughter] birdwatching. We didnt have a merit badge in girl watching. I think they do now and my son got it. [laughter] was there something that propelled you into life . I Learned Leadership skills and tenacity and courage and all those kinds of things as well as getting along with other people. Different backgrounds. I went to new mexico and all those kind of things. So it helped shape my life i was quite frankly. But the one that was most important was my other. My mother finished third or fourth grade. My father third or fourth grade. And they were sharecroppers. You work all year we had a garden all said and done and that was about 3,000 or 4,000 in cash because they had a store he sold to my family at a price that bought the coffin back. I think its important that in america you find very few opportunities of that kind for a boy born in mississippi, who poor, living in a house without water or electricity and any other amenities that we have. But my mother was domestic. They came to hear their kids and all that kind of stuff. I didnt understand it at the time my mother was telling me this and she said when she went to interview for a job she would tell that white women im not going to go to the back door to clean your house and cook your food. They lost a lot of jobs that way. She also said, because back in those days the mystics were called by their first name she said my name is not. Its ms. Cummings. I think that kind of tenacity and courage rubbed off on me because i remember as clearly as i am sitting here telling that story. I was too young to understand it but that was the defining moment in my life with my mother. She lived until 92 years of age and she passed about six or seven years ago. You can clap. 92. [applause] that is a long time. Speaking of your mother when you are a young man you were very busy and in addition to school and being in the honor society, you had a lot of jobs. You were collecting merit badges. Bueven so, you were a little bit of a rival browser. You said you liked to drink water from white water fountains but what did your mother have to say about you doing that . She slapped the hell out of me. [laughter] back then the older people in segregation were used to living like that and it was the young one that said are you crazy lawyer you living like this . Thats true. Let me back up a little bit and put this book in context. A lot has been written. A lot of photographs have been taken. But those interviews and stories was about what of my life and not who. I understood to tell the story of who marion berry really is. [laughter] and this book is frank. I tell it all. The good, the bad and the ugly because it is not where everything goes and you dont make any mistakes in your life. If you want to borrow one thats great but buy some more. [laughter] you will see that they are very detailed situations. This book took me about almost a year to do. They have Fiction Books and i am up until one or 2 00 in the morning going to work in my counseling job working saturday, sunday, late into the night, working on holidays to make sure that i was accurate in what i was trying to together. And i was talking to a number of tape recorders to try to put this together and it was a labor of love. It was about this much of a sliver in my years. Thats what it was. It was important. Im going to get that out of the way right now because regardless of what happened. It happened 24 years ago. I say it again, 24 years ago. The 24 years ago. And i asked for forgiveness and her mother because she was a victim as i was. But notwithstanding that, i apologized to the communities and to my wife and my son christopher and they respected that apology. This country is a second, third and fourth chances. But i hope what this would do is inspire somebody to stand up and get rid of that as much as you can. I hope this book would educate someone after the truth because as doctor king said, the christian ground shall rise again. And so i put it in that context and the other context that i would go back to is washington, d. C. Washington, d. C. Is our Nations Capital and government, foreign embassies and National Cabinet agencies for 435 members of the house of representatives are here. There are more eyes on me here than any other person in america. And i have survived that and overcome that. Im not letting it get me down. I would like to thank you for this understanding. [applause] and also the major press. We have a few haters. Some are here tonight. They are wrote on the book and that isnt right to do and im going to take it out, dont worry about it. Anyway, back to you. [laughter] [applause] i was really fascinated to read about your education in the field of science. In the book you said you moved from science to Community Activism because teaching students when you were getting your graduates agree youve learned the black community wasnt as educated in the segregateintosegregated and youo the Community Activism. Thats true. As i said earlier they passed the one living system. Shes ten years younger than me. I talked to her this morning. When i was in high school booker t. Washington was the statewide champion in football, basketball, track, everything. I wasnt good enough to play basketball so i went out for the band. And he said we have to buy you a trumpet. Nobody had the money around me. Then i decided to go into boxing and i always got about 15 sites. Im sorry im not doing it. I said coach, im going. Dont try to talk me back. Im glad because i would have been rumbling around here probably and beat upside the head of some of the time. And i was also very smart academically. And i loved that time. So when i went to college im going to try not to give too many details. I decided to major in chemistry with a minor in math. I came from that era that people were using the first letter of their name and their middle name like g. Washington. These were friends of mine. I didnt have a middle name and part of what we did before was Current Events and i named myself after the russian scientist because he had done some outstanding things. We had to go to kansas city and women found them entertaining. I went to the university of tennessee and i was here for three years. The only block student which meant i made enough good grades to stay there for three years and i was going to do my dissertation in the Civil Rights Movement i could help more people that way. So that was also overcoming struggles, tenacity, courage, big vision. All of those things that repeat not of what the situation is. I decided to give back to the community and ive been to this committee. Every bit of it. There isnt one person that lived here or visit it here who was not affected directly or indirectly by the leadership of marion barry. [applause] lets skip over several fascinating things and go to you when you won your first selection for mayor. Theres so much that you did that i just wasnt aware of. When you first took office he headed the audit done on the city finances and found that it was a 388 million deep in the hole and during the first three consecutive terms in office, he balanced the budget 11 out of 12 years. Thats something we should learn to do these days. You reduce the deficit by 200 million. U. S. A relationship with wall street and obtained the highest Credit Rating for the city. You forced slum landlords to fix their properties and make them safe. You institute to provide fair and Affordable Housing and reduce the rate of the city mortality rate of the city to one of the lowest in the country, expanded the Summer Jobs Program to more than 20,000 kids and were able to build a 70 buildings downtown above pennsylvania creating the revenue jobs. I think i get the sense from your book that is the favorite out of your many accomplishments is increasing the minority hiring for the dc government contract. Could you please tell us about that . [applause] i was sworn in by Thurgood Marshall the associate Supreme Court who worked to get me out of jail and that was a big event in washington, d. C. Back in those days. It was a southern town. This building was sent here. This context wasnt here. And at street and ge street on the west end it didnt have any major highrise buildings. The student who just happen overnight. It took a lot of work and vision and tenacity for instance hes a developer. They came up with great recommendations. Also organized the permit department and welcomed the business who doubled the number of hotel rooms since i started it so i think thats important if we see the big picture because we painted a large picture. Again all of this is with courage and tenacity and vision and understanding within the community and they love me back. Thats very important. [applause] in terms of my programs, my most Favorite Program is my Summer Jobs Program. [applause] because when i grew up i had to sell rabbits, pop bottles, kerry the morning paper come that evening paper in a year. What saved me as a friend of mine down the street. He grew much faster than me and in between my tenth and 11th grade, i grew up by two and a half or maybe 3 inches. I had nothing to wear. My mother couldnt afford. So he gave me all of his pants and suits and shirts etc. Its about overcoming, not complaining about what you dont have both working hard to get what you want. Back to the City Government by second or my first most Important Program was minority business. Thats hispanics, blacks, women. It was 3 when i came in. 3 . When i left it was 40 . Millions of dollars transferred into the hands of people who have been left out. One example is bob johnson. The council awarded with my help the dc cable franchise, and he didnt have an operator. The program went and got him but International Headquarters where washington was supposed to go and others i like bob johnson at least all of the planned which meant he began here in dc it is a millionaire, billionaire and look at the bt now. He reported to the Tax Commission when he was 23 years of age and my staff said why are you doing that for he is too young. And he moves on to become a developer and is one of the most prosperous developers in the country, white or black again, starting right here because i could name 100 more. But the final part of this vacation they were qualified members of the middle class who hadnt been given the opportunity to work. They had degrees and certificates and all kinds of things that was necessary that the dc government was basically at the top. So they opened the government up and those families were able to move from here to here and in fact im very proud of the fact that we built a strong black middle class. Also in the process of what happened on a number of black middle class went to Prince George county. And i understand it because there were all these happenings and all those kinds of things. And in the Inauguration Day asks minauguration theyasked me to s. I was his guest. Im proud of that, too. cc c so why do you think they did this . c i had the problem. Whenc i first came to washington i had no problem with them. c but with regard to the programc millions and millions and millions of dollars in the minority communityc and 47 . Welcomed me. c to the middleclass. 47 of the vote. c when i got into office i knew it but i did notc understand it as well. All the social problems of the community. c in particular the low Income Community. c that is the truth. It is not hard to admit. What happened to me those two years that i was that there now going to that hotel going upstairs even though i am sure they refined another one but i am glad glad they found his way it is safer. I apologize for that and to this community. If you talk about christianity. And 70 times 70. I if mitt my faults. I admit my mistakes. So i want to find somebody who is perfect. Of anybody who has not made a mistake is not done a thing. That is hell they justify. To explain so people could 78 years of age and i thank god for that because of the majority of people in my High School Class we whether light a candle for everybody who had gone on. It got so bad that the white candles outnumbered the us who are here it was too painful so we stopped because all those people had gone on in our class. But what i also want to do with those mistakes mistakes, misjudgments is to be a lesson to other people who suffer the same kind of thing. Particularly we have millions and millions of americans right now suffering from drug addiction. Thousands of d. C. Residents. And in fact, talking to a job developer they will tell you one of the Biggest Barriers is i want to be an instructor. You can do it. Marion barry can set it up and you can do which. To educate and expire. I know people who went through a lot. The divorce or kids who dont have to write i want to be instructed you can tackle the problem. With my pastor to preach readjust getting out of a storm or honor way to a store arrear in a storm. How do you get out . First of all, if you find yourself in whole, stop digging. More importantly it is better to go above the storm until it rubs off on you. If you ignore it is idiocy and to many people ignore it. This book is also helping other people ive helped financially no question but but given examples hell wasnt man can overcome so many things. I am just an ordinary person who has done extraordinary things. The reason i am taking the time to talk about this in detail, the coz the berry haters dont want to tell you the truth. You understand that. So understanding for where i come from and with other people the idea of blood infection. Onethird of the people that get it dont come back but god blessed me to come back to serve this community. I would rather walk that way then on and not at all. I give all the glory to god. I have seen it. I has been in some difficult times emotionally and physically and otherwise. Only when i gave it to god i a began to try to come back it. The naysayers will find a reason in any way. So you can criticize me about god because god is your. Host the one thing that really shocked the world is when you ran again for mayor 1994 for your slogan was great he may not be perfect ideas perfect for d. C. [laughter] [applause] how do you have the nerve to run again at that point and why did they put you back there . When we did our poll it was only 13 percent i told the post gold back and do it again. Then it is incredible. Z7 they had major scandals he came back 13 . And she got 13 percent in the election. So the man that i help to get on the council 1978 was running so there birthings not being done. The program was going downhill. Is down 20 percent now and also the High School System was still a rack i go to safeway and could not get out in less than two hours. What about this . What about that . My guess was turned off. So i decided to use my connections to run for mayor. And then i got 47 percent of the vote 1994. The people, those who are here who saw all the good work we had done in you judge a person not but a the book. I do god had given me this vision and i had to give back. The one against all odds. 13 races . I am now known around the country as one of the most skillful political persons in the country. [applause] host but you were still spinning but cummings was the original list live to mayor that we called the us a paper. [laughter] but it was very creative he called me macbeth and called my wife lady macbeth he also started mayor for life. I did not like that. I did not want to be known that way but the more people talk to you or the mayor forever. The best mare we ever had. So that turned mayor for life everyone what they said to me. Everybody. Thank you. Think you. Host in the poorest section of the city you said you were sought by the police on several occasions for what . Driving while black. And for driving too slowly. That is a true story. A National ParkService Police officer came off the street i was driving 25 for 30 miles an hour and it was the bedlight and he gave me a ticket for driving too slow. But washington d. C. Does not have such a lot but the National Park police we have more trouble with them than anybody in this town. Now they leave me alone. Host in america said despite the fact we put a black man in the white house will we ever get past were live in a post Racial Society . What do you think about that . Guest i hear the word racial. And talking about where we go from here i dont say racism but it is a factor in america. Washington d. C. Is onethird havenots. Of the divide that why. Look at the income gap. 26,000 per year income. And i am the person who works hard to get there. 200,000 over here. So what it has done with the low Income Community is run people into crime and drugs to get money. I am understand it but i cannot condone it. Burglary and robbery to get money. We had a video called grand theft auto but it was people killing cops in the people making money were not black people. But that bothers me. With low income communities there is a black boy who has never ever in his life seen a black man get up and go to work. 82 the black female is head of household. I it meyer those black women but one son and i had christopher who just turned 34, we had all of the amenities, connections to get him in the out of boundaries school, it into the Senior High School where he graduated 1998 but what about those parents who dont have those resources resources, those connections, that . But the basis of all this is simple. Poverty. Poverty. But think about it. None of us decided where we were born. We were born under what nationality or what color. So people in poverty were born into poverty very few were someplace then went into poverty but in terms of poverty, it is massive and we have to do all we can to become selfsufficient. That was a long time to answer that but i want you to understand what i am saying. Host one quick question you are 78 now and have had Health Issues but looking ahead what do you still want to you do and what do you want your legacy to be . I have two more years on the council. That is us given. I dont give money punches for that. But what i can say is i am on the council for two more years. With my legacy i guess if i have to summarize, a person who cared deeply about every human being. In particular the hispanics and the other thing is to be instructive so they too can succeed in spite of little. Or the almighty god. To have the courage and a strong feeling about yourself. Vmo i want to use this as an example, my vegas a. In 2004 s my Victory Party ward number eight after a was talking to her i found out after highschool she got her ged, for boys and raising them by herself. And she had refused to go on welfare. She worked two and three jobs and was paying 1,000 which was 60 percent of her income. She went to school and got her high school diploma, a certificate of nurses aide four or five months ago in the past the lp and. [applause] if as a licensed Practical Nurse and now into the d. C. School of nursing in august as a registered nurse for year nursing program. Thank you. [applause] host this gentleman over here has a question. We have known each other even if you have not but a booker i thank you. You almost started preaching there for a moment [laughter] has the president of the National Business league i look back at what higgins has done for the city because of marion barry so i commend you hide the for the Small Business committee that would not have happened without you. The only mayor that i have ever in this city i made any money from because of you. I commend you. [applause] if he were the emperor of the United States with limitless power what would you do about poverty in america . Item answer those questions. I really dont. No personal offense. Im not the emperor and never will be but that is my style. It is difficult from time to time but to answer the what if questions but if you ask my opinion for the future but poverty is so evasive it is so massive in this country with 42 Million People on food stamps . Blackandwhite . For white people and poverty will not be eradicated. With every legislator, every governor, every mayor, everybody. And we will make a dent because we are murky working hard with the temporary assistance to you give them jobs. I appreciate the question but poverty is so messy. Somebody quoted somebody the other day. He said helen keller in those who are well off have a hard time understanding those who are not well off. Mayor barry one of the things that strikes me is the Economic Growth you look bad economic san during the Civil Rights Movement it did not seem that was a major focus but now there is more economic inequality and less black businesses now that u we have causes with Silicon Valley microsoft microsoft, washington b. C. Is the leader of gross. Why is this not in the forefront with the leadership . Well paying jobs, private equity, a good jobs in america still are denied to those to serve their country and highly educated and this is something that is the non told story of washington d. C. In america. Unfortunately we do our oppressed your priorities and not just to survive but looking at a segregated society. Human dignity is at stake. So to go to the march on washington was jobs and voting rights. Basics with the right to vote. That is being eroded now but working on that situation had caught on in the last chapter talks about civil rights. And that but we apologize for being gave little bit late. A racially five or 10 minutes late anyway but my biological clock does not work right. Back when i was in college refused to take the air in the class i would take the 9 00 class. I just came back from new york and had said great time. And the train was late. So i apologize deeply for that. Greetings. How were you . I want to congratulate you on your book and also make sure everyone knows you helped to pioneer the free d. C. Movement for what we need to do enough population come they never revenue, and have the sense of urgency. What is your opinion about the free d. C. Movement . Guest that happened in 1966 because the border trade had gone on record but i think that we need this state hood now. And were calling you to assist us. Can you imagine 11 billion . 7 billion is from local taxpayers in the other is from the federal government. But those who have had at in hand go to congress to get permission in to spend our own money . We go around the country and around the world to bring democracy to iraq and to see what is happening there with afghanistan and pakistan. The year is a talk about democracy around the world . To come right back here to home and congress and what house to have a state could hear . That is the wrong message. That is the wrong message. [applause] i want to faqs so kindly mayor barry for your courage and excellent leadership skills. I want to ask you during the civil rights time were you ever injured at all marching were you ever hurt . I was pushed at the lunch counter and those kinds of things. I dont mind. Congratulations on the book. I would like to answer his legacy question for him. I have an idea. I think that the colleges in this town like georgetown or George Washington or maybe all of them should share a seat for marion barry and it should be about teaching the kids in this town Political Science and how to run for office how we cant imagine that one of these schools shouldnt do this. [applause] speculative people not talking about that and look at that. I read information about being here i had to be here and its important to me because i want to let you know that you had a great impact on our life and its something that we didnt hear about the students in washington, d. C. One of the kids wanted to go to college and i was a recipient of that. We got paid in tuition in the programs and i graduated from that you never city. [applause] another thing i came back and i worked with the department and you had a program that you put in on developed low income areas to help bring the cultural activities and everything and i just really want to let you know that you are a great person and ive nevei never had this oppory before. [applause] speculative those programs put into place heavy road to hardly anything now for instance when i was the mayor i would give a thousand dollars and 500 of the most improved student. I used to give a thousand dollars to every student in the top 10 of his or her class. You started tonight singing one of the reasons he wrote the book is to say who is marion barry so my question springs from that. What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about marion barry over the years. The biggest misconception in my life is taken up with junk and scandals and corruption. Most people know me even in dc from 152nd sound bites and the United States government send the tape to every ambassador in the world from the president of every country in