Alhamdulillah!  A new and historical bronze commemorative plaque honoring Dr. Calvin W. Rolark was mounted on the exterior wall of The Clara near the entrance of where the Islamic museum is projected be facing Martin Luther King Jr., Ave.  This commemorative plaque was spearheaded by the Rolark family, Denise R. and Lafayette Barnes.  The plaque reads:

“If It Is to Be, It Is Up to Me” – Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr. (May 18, 1927 – October 23, 1994)

This plaque commemorates the life and legacy of Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, Sr.
Born in Texarkana, Texas, in 1927, Dr. Rolark graduated from Prairie View A&M College and served in the U.S. Army. After moving to Washington, D.C., he earned an honorary doctorate from Southeastern University. A civil rights activist, he co-founded and published The Washington Informer in 1964 and founded The United Black Fund, Inc. in 1969. He married Vera McGlassom in 1952 and later Wilhelmina Jackson Rolark, Esq., in 1962, who was elected the Ward 8 City Councilmember in 1976. Dr. Rolark has two children, Denise Rolark Barnes, publisher of The Washington Informer, Calvin W. Rolark, Jr., and two grandchildren, Lafayette A.C. Barnes and Desmond R. Barnes.

Dr. Rolark and Attorney Rolark fought for the passage of the D.C. Home Rule Act in 1973. They initiated the annual Ward 8 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Parade in 1977 and cultivated strong relationships with D.C.’s Islamic community. They joined the press briefing on The New World Patriotism Day celebration in 1984 at the Frederick Douglass House in Anacostia with Imam W. Deen Mohammed (son of Elijah and Clara Muhammad), Muhammad Ali, the former heavyweight boxing champion, Ibrahim Mumin, member of The Nation’s Mosque, and other notables.

Dr. Rolark’s family thanks Imam Talib Shareef, Masjid Muhammad-The Nation’s Mosque, Banneker Ventures, Medina LIFE CDC, The Washington Informer, Lafayette A. Barnes, Phinis Jones, William P. Lightfoot, Esq., Stanley Rolark, Hussein Tate, and Sister Walla Tate for supporting this 2025 project.