Calvin Rolark

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Calvin W. Rolark (1926/1927 – October 23, 1994) was an American newspaper publisher and activist. Based in Washington, D.C., Rolark founded The Washington Informer and the .[1]

Early life and education[]

Calvin W. Rolark, Jr., was born in Texarkana, Texas, circa 1927.[1] He received a bachelor's of business administration from Prairie View College (now called Prairie View A&M University) and also attended Tennessee State University, Michigan State University, and Cornell University.[2] He lived in Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1940s,[3] where he worked as an editor of the Memphis World.[4]

Career[]

Rolark moved from Texas to Washington in either 1952[5] or 1959.[6] He founded The Washington Informer, a newspaper, in 1962. In 1969, he founded the , a foundation structured similarly to United Way that supported charitable activities for Black and Latino residents in the Washington, D.C., area.[7][2][1] Rolark was also affiliated with the , a charity.[8]

Personal life[]

Rolark married Wilhelmina Rolark, a Washington politician, in 1963.[9][1][6] According to The Washington Post, Wilhelmina and Calvin were "one of the District's preeminent power couples".[4]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Thomas-Lester, Avis (October 24, 1994). "D.C. Publisher, Activist Calvin W. Rolark Dies". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ a b "Calvin Rolark, 67, civic leader in D.C." The Town Talk. Associated Press. October 25, 1994. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Jaffe & Sherwood 1994, p. 34.
  4. ^ a b Levy, Claudia (October 25, 1994). "Crusading Publisher Calvin Rolark Dies". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Jaffe & Sherwood 1994, p. 28.
  6. ^ a b Thomas-Lester, Avis (October 30, 1994). "D.C. Says Goodbye to Activist Calvin Rolark". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ Carson, Emmett Devon (1993). A Hand Up: Black Philanthropy and Self-Help in America. Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. pp. 45–46. ISBN 1-880285-02-9. OCLC 26398540.
  8. ^ "Calvin W. Rolark; Founded United Black Fund". Los Angeles Times. October 31, 1994. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Davenport, Elizabeth K. (2008). "Rolark, Wilhelmina Jackson". In Gates, Jr., Henry Louis; Higginbotham, Evelyn Brooks (eds.). The African American National Biography. Oxford University Press. pp. 676–677. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.37772. ISBN 978-0-19-516019-2. OCLC 156816848.

Sources[]

External links[]


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