Cohen Statement on the Passing of Marion Barry

[MEMPHIS, TN] -- Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today released the following statement regarding the passing of former Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry:

"Marion Barry was always gracious and full of information when we talked, and I am saddened to hear of his passing. He was a son of Memphis, a graduate of what is now LeMoyne-Own College and the President of the NAACP there, as well as the first national chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. A strong civil rights leader, he rose to serve 4 terms as the popular, indefatigable Mayor of Washington, DC. As Maya Angelou once said, he 'changed America with his unmitigated gall to stand up in the ashes of where he had fallen and come back to win.' He was beloved by many in our nation's capital and around the country, and he will be missed."