EDITORIAL
Street Renaming to Honor the Rolarks in Southeast D.C. City Council received testimony this week on a bill introduced by Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White to rename a D.C. street in honor of Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr., and his wife, former Ward 8 Councilmember Wilhelmina J. Rolark. The 500 block of Foxhall Place, S.E., where the powerful D.C. couple lived for more than 30 years, will be renamed Wilhelmina and Calvin Rolark Way if the bill passes. The renaming is symbolic, not permanent, allowing residents living there now to avoid the hassle of changing their addresses, a measure they opposed in 2018 when a previous bill was introduced. Wilhelmina Jackson Rolark, a native of Portsmouth, Virginia, is a 1937 graduate of Howard University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts and master’s in Political Science. She is a 1944 graduate of Robert H. Terrell Law School, which she attended at night and practiced law in D.C. for over 50 years. She served as secretary to the National Bar Association and was an active member of the Washington Bar Association. She also founded the National Association of Black Women Attorneys. Rolark’s legal career focused on civil rights. She was praised as a champion for working people by the AFL-CIO. She was also remembered as a “Soldier for Home Rule” in a The Washington Post obituary. Rolark served on the D.C. City Council for Ward 8 for four terms from 1977 to 1993. She chaired several committees, including the Judiciary Committee, and her legislation established cable television in D.C. Councilmember Rolark was responsible for renaming Nichols Avenue, S.E. to Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Portland Street to Malcolm X Avenue, S.E. She co-founded the Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Parade. She died on February 14, 2006. Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr., a native of Texarkana, Texas, died on October 23, 1994. He was 67. A community activist, journalist and philanthropist started The Washington Informer newspaper in 1964. He also co-founded the United Black Fund in April 1969. The fight UBF had with the U.S. Civil Service Commission for UBFs inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign to solicit payroll deductions from federal employees was impactful and successful. They also worked tirelessly to establish a fundraising partnership with the United Giver’s Fund, now the United Way. Under Dr. Rolark’s leadership, millions of dollars were raised to assist more than 100 diverse local and small non-profit organizations serving the unmet needs of area residents. Though Calvin and Wilhelmina Rolark are no longer with us, their legacy lives on with those who remember their innumerable contributions to this community. WI
Bullets Flying Everywhere but Do We Really Care? The recent mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, continues a disturbing trend for 2022 with the number of such incidents now around 309 – with more inevitably to come. Years ago, when the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary occurred December 14, 2012, Americans were shocked that something so terrible, so heinous, so callous, could occur in our own country – particularly at the hands of another American. Back then, America still seemed more focused on weapons of mass destruction and the efforts of foreign agents to cause havoc in the U.S. But as the number of mass shootings have continued to escalate, most, if not all committed by disgruntled, if not mentally-impaired American citizens, one has to wonder why our legislators and other officials have not done more to bring an end to such incidents. In the latest mass shooting, the alleged shooter had a history of mental health challenges including an attempted suicide and a documented threat to murder his entire family. Yet, he still was able to purchase guns under his own name and with relative ease. The bullets seem to fly with reckless abandon with shootings taking place everywhere – from small suburbs like Highland Park to major urban locations. And while the president has flags flying at half-mast at the White House, families and friends in the Chicago suburb are left to bury their loved ones – the youngest being just eight years old. One couple who died in the melee, leave their two-year-old son, whose father protected the child by shielding him with his own body, to grow up as an orphan. Haven’t we had enough? How much more must Americans endure? Where are our priorities? While the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade to protect the yet unborn, what about those already living? Don’t they matter just as much? Apparently, they – we – do not. WI
TO THE EDITOR My Body, My Choice
Take It to The Bridge
I can’t believe we are now in a society where my granddaughters will have less reproductive rights than I. Yes, abortions are still legal in D.C., but for how long? Congress has authority over the District as we still don’t have statehood. Our rights could be here today and gone tomorrow like many in this country are experiencing.
I enjoy the WI Bridge. It captures the authenticity of the city and the young people Black and brown people without being corny or forced. We need more of a spotlight on young, Black media, especially in D.C. Salute to WI Bridge. Brandon Freeman Washington, D.C.
Juliette Young Washington, D.C.
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