By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
While the highly touted “Marion Berry Knots” may have been as good as the restaurant chain that introduced them to the public on Oct. 21 claimed, most Washingtonians will never be able to decide for themselves.
photo: AFRO Photo / Alexis Taylor
That’s because &pizza, following two days of intense criticism, anger and threats of a boycott of all of its D.C.-based restaurants, pulled the controversial dessert from its website and menu.
When the restaurant chain first unveiled the newest addition to its menu, the company described the new dessert, which was only offered in its Washington, D.C. outlets, as “stuffed with deliciously sweet marionberries and topped with a creamy vanilla icing drizzle.” Hoping to entice customers to try the new dessert, the sales promotion also claimed, “these knots will blow you away!”
But residents from the Greater Washington area, most notably Cora Masters Barry, the widow of former District Mayor Marion Barry, refused to allow &pizza to move forward with the new item – at least not without a fight.
Masters Barry described the new item and publicity stunt as “racist and disrespectful,” pointing to the dessert’s name which was hauntingly similar to her late husband’s name.
Barry, who served as D.C.’s Ward 8 councilmember before serving three consecutive terms as mayor and then, after serving time for possession of crack cocaine, was reelected in 1994, has long been hailed as D.C.’s “Mayor for Life.” He died on Nov. 23, 2014.
Masters Barry further objected to the image on the company’s website, which prominently features a mound of white sugar that, while part of the dessert’s ingredients, could easily be mistaken for cocaine.
The DC NAACP branch, in a press release issued on Oct. 22, blasted the pizza chain and criticized the new menu item. In addition, its president, Akosua Ali shared his thoughts about the legacy of Marion Barry and noted why the organization has called for &pizza to remove the item from its menu.
“The life, legacy, lineage and name of Marion Barry deserves to be remembered as a pioneer for economic development, real estate development, Black business empowerment, youth employment and as the Mayor of the people,” Ali stated. “Mayor Barry taught us the power of economics and today, we call on the community to demand &pizza right this egregious wrong.”
The NAACP also demanded that &pizza, with locations in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, donate money to support substance abuse prevention in each of the cities located within its marketing area.
Meanwhile, residents from the Greater Washington area took to social media to share their views. In fact, some of the perspectives on Facebook and Twitter included language that was so heated that many of the posts were too explosive for young, sensitive readers.
Ronald Moten said, “We all will have the last day on this @andpizza. You can’t spit on Marion Barry’s grave and think there won’t be any consequences. Stay tuned!”
Jill Greenleigh succinctly noted, “No more andpizza as they disrespect Marion Barry!!! I will never eat there again!!!”
Clyde Ellis Rowell simply asked, “Who approved this foolery?”
Things came to a head Oct. 23, when a collective of grassroots activists, including Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, Don’t Mute DC, the Community of Hope A.M.E Church and several other Black-led organizations located in the District, sponsored a press conference to voice their concerns and asked members of the community to boycott the pizza chain until it removed the item from its menu.
D.C. Councilmember Trayon White, who represents Ward 8 – the same ward that Barry represented during his tenure on the city council – also spoke during the press conference.
In response, &pizza CEO Mike Burns later that day admitted that he had made a mistake.
“We hear the D.C. community and have removed the Marion Berry Knots from our menu effective immediately,” Burns said in a press statement cited by dcnewsnow.com.
“While humor was our intent, it was regrettably off the mark. We’re an edgy brand known for being risk takers. The parody of the former Mayor and portrayal of substance abuse was wrong,” he continued. “We have read the countless messages and social media posts and understand the frustration this has brought forth – especially to the Barry family. We recognize his impact on the District and greater Capital area and understand why his legacy remains as strong as it is today.”
Promising to reach out to the community leaders who voiced concern, Burns.concluded: “Again, we apologize. We have nothing but love for D.C., which we consider the greatest city in the world. Trust that &pizza hears you and we will do better.”
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