Calvin Rolark

Calvin W. Rolark (1926 or 1927 – October 23, 1994) was an American newspaper publisher and activist. Based in Washington, D.C., Rolark founded The Washington Informer and the United Black Fund.^[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 United Black Fund, 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 United Planning Organization, 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]