WINNER OF FIVE SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS D.C. AWARDS We Salute All Father Figures – Say Thanks on Father’s Day Vol. 55, No. 36 • June 18 - 24, 2020
Juneteenth Celebrations Strengthen Racial Pride By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins
5 Two young girls write “All Lives Can’t Matter Until Black Lives Do!” in chalk on a street outside the Wayne K. Curry Administration Building in Largo, Maryland on June 15. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
The Washington Informer Makes History in the DMV
Publication Takes Five Society of Professional Journalists DC Awards By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor, @dkevinmcneir Since the founding of the Washington Informer 55 years ago by one of the District’s leading voices, Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr., our publication has sought to provide the best in local news coverage which illustrates the very best of the Black community. These stories, while noteworthy, often remain untold and omitted from mainstream publications or other media outlets. And while Dr. Rolark’s daughter, Denise Rolark Barnes, now serves as the publisher, she and her staff remain committed to the urgent promise of two men who published the first Black newspaper over a century ago. 5 Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. (Courtesy photo)
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As much of the world embraces the mantra of “Black Lives Matter,” Juneteenth — the African-American holiday also known as Jubilee Day — has become more appealing to those within the Black community who not only want to challenge institutional racism but grow in their racial pride and knowledge. Local celebrations and discussions this year are taking place amid ongoing protests and the nascent push to institutionalize Juneteenth — the June 19, 1865, arrival of Union troops to Galveston, Texas, and the end of chattel slavery — as a federally observed holiday. In Anacostia Park, people will gather for the exchange of solution-oriented ideas and a presentation by a think tank during the Juneteenth African Resource Exchange, what lead organizer Najai Knox described as vital to the
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5 (Illustration by Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)
African-American Fathers Dispel the Persistent Myth of Absentee Dads Data Shows Blacks Lead the Way in Support of and Love for Their Children
By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor, @dkevinmcneir Black men in America tend to be blamed for all of the ills which plague their communities. But none remains more entrenched in the minds of society than their penchant and preference for ignoring the needs and desires of their children. However, data continues to illustrate that the notion of the “absentee Black father” exists more in the minds of the uninformed than in the real world. Still, this stereotype, while fab-
ricated and inaccurate, continues to impact the ways in which Americans view Black men. Many Black fathers find themselves on a slippery slope – contributing in the overall development of their children, yet viewed as “deadbeat” because of the percentage of those who do not reside in the same home as their children. Nonetheless, Black dads across the nation prove time and time again that living arrangements should not and do not serve as the basis for or evidence of “fatherlessness.”
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Celebrating 55 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area