From coverage, to collaboration and community work, reporting on and partnering with faith leaders have been part of The Washington Informer’s foundation since its founding more than 60 years ago.
For the publication’s founder Dr. Calvin Rolark, it was important that the newspaper not only informed Washingtonians, but also uplifted the Black community and all people.
“Our every effort will be directed toward raising the economic, cultural, and spiritual level of citizens,” Rolark wrote in the first edition of the edition, published October 16, 1964.
Since 1964, we’ve covered moments that have rocked the faith community— from the killing of Malcolm X in 1965, the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and subsequent riots in 1968, the Million Man March on The Informer’s 31st anniversary in 1995, and the religious leaders who helped progress the recent Black Lives Matter movement.
As The Washington Informer marks 60 years, local clergy and lay leaders are celebrating the publication’s contributions to not only reporting important religious news, but through coverage uplifting the community as a whole.
The Rev. Donald Robinson, interim pastor of the First Baptist Church of Washington, D.C.
“Congratulations to The Washington Informer for 60 years of uninterrupted service; for being: a beacon of hope, a beacon of service and a beacon of light and information in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area.
“When I think about The Washington Informer I think about the late Calvin W. Rolark. He used to say, ‘If it is to be, it is up to me.’ He was a guy who promoted Black excellence and Black self determination, economic empowerment. I am just glad that his family, particularly his daughter, is carrying the torch. What is really good is that they just don’t do stories; they are really involved in the community.”
The Rev. Tony Lee Community of Hope A.M.E. Church
“The Washington Informer is the central voice of our community and the Black Press, especially during this current moment in our history when we see so much of the main press bought out, when MSNBC let people go and so many news organizations are for profit.
“The Washington Informer is our tool and our voice and it is that mechanism that helps us to still be involved in the world.The Informer tells us stories in a way that we can trust. Denise Rolark Barnes is a national jewel who will be written in the anals of history for continuing the work she has done for her parents as an instrument for freedom and liberation.”
Joyce Garrett, director of Music and Worship Arts at Alfred Street Baptist Church
“You could always depend on The Informer sharing information that you could not find anywhere else about what was going on in our communities. Calvin Rolark was dedicated to that Southeast community way before anybody else was carrying.”
Imam Talib Shareef, of Masjid Muhammad
“The Washington Informer is a Freedom of Speech avenue that was born out of the struggle to see humanity free. It has inherited the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all those produced by this struggle from her parents on down. Today it is a very relevant voice of truth.”
The Rev. Henry P. Davis, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Highland Park:
“The Washington Informer has been critical in terms of getting information out and we always appreciate the willingness for them to cover stories that are particular to our community. We salute The Washington Informer for always being there and to get out a clear message that keeps the community informed to real news.”
The Rev. E. Gail Anderson Holness, pastor of the Adams Inspirational A.M.E.
“The Informer has been the best informer for the African American community in Washington, D.C. and abroad. Scripture says ‘ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,’ and The Informer speaks truth to power.”
“The Washington Informer is very important in the history of Washington and the national African American community. Where would we be without the pioneering work of The Washington Informer and Dr. Calvin W. Rolark? It was important to me as a young man, I had to have a mentor like Dr. Rolark to set me up in places I occupy today. So as far as The Informer goes, so goes me.”