It has been more than two years since Marion Barry, a Civil Rights leader and a DC legend, died.
On Saturday, a statue was unveiled honoring the "Mayor For Life."
It comes just a few days before his birthday.
Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled the 8-foot-tall bronze statue of former District of Columbia mayor Marion Barry Junior.
"After Martin Luther King had a dream. Before President Barack Obama gave us hope. It was Marion Barry who brought opportunity to Washington D.C.," said Bowser.
He had a troubled past but many say this statue is a reminder of all the good he did for the District.
Barry's wife, Cora Masters, said that when people counted him out after scandals he got back up.
"The statue pays respect to his resilience, to his ability to keep going, to keep fighting, and to keep serving," said Masters.
#OffScriptOn9: How Marion Barry's statue embodies the 'Mayor for life'
Barry served four terms as D.C. mayor and three 16 years on city council. That time did not come without setbacks. In the middle of it all, in 1990 he spent six months in prison for cocaine possession after an FBI drug bust caught him on camera.
"We all have a past and he or she without sin cast the first stone," explained Rosco Grant Jr. who worked in government with Barry for years. "If he did anything he hurt himself. Nobody else."
Grant thinks Barry's accomplishments should be what he is known for.
"Marion did a lot of things for small businesses, for senior citizens, and for the youth in our city. Which is in desperate desired need right now," said Grant.
"I want to say to you Marian you will never be forgotten," expressed Masters.
The reported cost of the project is around $300,000. Barry's widow said the money came from private donations.
The statue was crafted by artist, Steven Weitzman and now sits outside of the John A. Wilson Building.
