A new dessert launched by the regional chain &pizza, the "Marion Berry Knots," has sparked outrage.
The dessert, named after the controversial former Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, has been labeled as "racist and disrespectful" by his widow, Cora Masters Barry.
Barry, who served as mayor for four terms and died in 2014, remains a polarizing figure in the city's history. His legacy includes a notorious arrest in 1990 for crack cocaine possession, followed by his re-election in 1994.
The &pizza pizza chain introduced the dessert made with dough stuffed with marionberries and topped with powdered sugar.
The chain promoted the dessert as "criminally good," seemingly referencing Barry's legal troubles.
The dessert's description boasted,"Enough powder for you and a few friends!"—comments that have been viewed as mocking Barry's past.
Cora Masters Barry quickly condemned the dessert, telling DC News Now, "I just think it's racist. In this city, it is outrageously racist. You can print that. It's racist and disrespectful."
She expressed anger at not being contacted by the pizza chain and emphasized how offensive she found the promotion.
The promotional photo on the &pizza website displayed the knots with a pile of white powdered sugar, a visual that many critics argue references Barry's crack cocaine scandal. The phrase "These knots will blow you away" added to the controversy.
D.C. Council member Christina Henderson voiced her disapproval and called the product "tone deaf and hella disrespectful," and several other D.C. leaders have called for a boycott of the chain.
&pizza defended the dessert claiming that it was named after the marionberry fruit, not the late mayor.
In a statement to The Washingtonian, &pizza CEO Mike Burns said, "We're talking about a marionberry, that's spelled with an 'e'. We stuff that into a knot, drizzle it with icing and then top it with powdered sugar. It's delicious – we can't wait for D.C. to try it."
The company, which has branded itself as an "anti-establishment establishment," has not indicated any plans to remove the dessert from its menu.
Burns, who recently took over leadership at &pizza, has promised to bring the company back to its "punk roots" with bold and rebellious moves.
