“She was a great friend. Also, she was a strong leader whether she was in the City Council or helping us learn how to use our dollars to strengthen families,” Height said.

Rolark, a native of Portsmouth, VA, served four consecutive terms on the D.C. City Council, representing Ward 8, 1976 through 1993. She chaired several committees during her tenure, most notably, the Judiciary Committee, which set budgets for 22 District agencies, including the Police and Fire departments. She chaired the Judiciary committee 1982-1992.

Senior D.C. Superior Court Judge Eugene N. Hamilton worked with Rolark more than 30 years. He calls her a fine lawyer, always on point and focused on the issues in the case, always very prepared. “She was well-prepared factually and legally. She did a fine job representing her clients,” said Hamilton, who presided over Probate Court where Rolark worked most. “She didn’t always win, but she did a fine job representing her clients.”

Rolark, who founded the National Association of Black Women Attorneys, also was a pioneer in the Washington Bar Association. “In the early days when the Washington Bar Association was not as affluent as it is now, our meetings were not as lavish…our refreshments would consist of sandwiches prepared by Mrs. Rolark. That shows you the type of person she was,” Hamilton said. He praised the work Rolark did on the D.C. Council Judiciary Committee, where she helped draft legislation to ensure a program that would provide guardianship for elderly and disabled persons. Chairing that committee she also passed legislation ensuring better rights and resources for children in the juvenile justice system.

“She was always interested in the welfare and well-being of the ordinary person. I am saddened by her passing,” said Judge Hamilton, commending the work Rolark did with her late husband, Dr. Calvin W. Rolark. “The city’s lost a great one,” he added.

Rolark’s step-daughter, Denise Rolark-Barnes, who for the past ten years has been publisher of The Washington Informer newspaper, which Rolark and her husband co-founded, reflected on the life-lessons. Rolark-Barnes began working at the newspaper in her youth and became managing editor 25 years ago, operating in an industry still dominated by men. What she learned from her step-mother helped prepare her.

“You figure, she practiced law for more than 50 years--at a time when Black lawyers weren’t respected and women weren’t respected,” said Rolark-Barnes, who followed her step-mother’s path to law school. “She had to struggle as a Black and as a woman. She fought to gain respect among her peers.”

Regarding her step-mother’s reputation as a tough and tenacious lawyer and law-maker, Rolark-Barnes said, “You didn’t come to her unprepared. She’d eat you up and spit you out, but at the same time she had a sense of humor and it was a real funny sense of humor.”

Rolark mentored younger women, including former D.C. Council woman Sandy Allen, who also represented Ward 8. “She was my mentor because she was always straight-forward, always caring, and always compassionate,” Allen said. “I’m deeply grieved by her passing because Mrs. Rolark was a champion for the people in our community,” Allen added. Allen worked with Rolark and her husband building on the tradition of the Annual Ward 8 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade.

D.C. Council chairman Linda Cropp (D) worked with Rolark on the council, and remembers her as a warrior. “Wilhelmina Rolark was one of those true warriors for the District of Columbia, and she was a hard fighter. She was tenacious and she was tough, but she had a soft spot. She would put forth a very hard challenge if she was fighting for an issue of caring for someone,” Cropp said. Through The Washington Informer they gave such a strong voice to the voiceless. She served with honor and distinction and she served those most in need.”

Rolark co-founded TheWashington Informer newspaper, carrying forth the spirit of pioneers in the Black Press, with her husband 41 years ago. Their mission was to tell the African American stories with dignity, hope and triumph. It became a family venture. They worked tirelessly.

Through their political work, community activism, civil rights work and their newspaper, Wilhelmina and her husband were a force to be reckoned with. They also co-founded the United Black Fund, a grant-making community service organization in 1969, and Wilhelmina worked as the organization’s general counsel winning major legal battles against discrimination. Upon the death of her husband in 1994, UBF’s Board of Directors unanimously elected her as president and CEO.

“Look at what they accomplished… what they accomplished was so long-lasting,” said D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), who worked with the Rolarks on civil rights issues, including making the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a national holiday. “They were partners in marriage, in business, in journalism, in charitable affairs, and in politics. I don’t know many couples in this town who made so many contributions in so many ways. It’s interesting because their unity as a team was so strong,” Norton added.

Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, president of the National Black Leadership Roundtable, also worked with Rolark many years. “Attorney Wilhelmina Jackson Rolark now joins the pantheon of the three other heroines of the epic struggle of our people for justice and human dignity who left us in recent months,” Fauntroy said in a prepared statement, noting the recent passing of Dr. C. Delores Tucker, Ms. Rosa Parks, and Mrs. Coretta Scott King. “Her sense of conscience, her response to duty, what she thought of herself, her fellowmen and women and of her God will remain an inspiration to us all,” Fauntroy said.

Wilhelmina Rolark earned a Bachelor and a Master of Arts Degree in Political Science from Howard University and a Juris Doctorate (JD) from the Robert H. Terrell Law School in Washington, D.C. She earned an honorary degree from the University of the District of Columbia School of Law. Most recently, Rolark continued to serve as president and CEO of the United Black Fund of Greater Washington, and worked as a practicing attorney, specializing in probate issues.

She is credited with naming two main roads in Ward 8 after Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and Human Rights Activist Malcolm X. The roads intersect. She also is credited with bringing cable television to the District, ensuring that it was available first in Ward 8, an often neglected section of the city.

In 1992, after 16 years in City Council, she lost her seat to a challenge by former mayor Marion Barry, staging a comeback after a stint in jail on drug charges. Rolark had not felt vulnerable in the race, but after the defeat talked little about it.

“She always said Black folks have such a short memory,” Rolark-Barnes said, noting that Rolark had done much for their Ward 8 community. “She never complained about anything. She fussed about what was right and just, but she would never complain personally about her own condition.”

Rolark will be remembered as stern, but compassionate. “She didn’t accept mediocrity,” Rolark-Barnes said.

In a prepared statement, Councilman Marion Barry commended Rolark’s commitment to the Ward 8 community and to the city. “With the passing of Mrs. Rolark today, this community and nation has lost a valuable person. I have lost a true friend, a long time friend. I am deeply saddened,” Barry said. “Wilhelmina was not only a leader and activist for Ward 8, but for African Americans all over this city. She was the people's champion working tirelessly for equality and justice. She fought her illness with courage and dignity, a lesson from which all of us can learn. My prayers and condolences go out to Denise and the rest of her family. May she rest in peace.” Barry’s staff offered assistance with logistics.

Rolark will be remembered most in the community for her work with schools and youth. D.C. Public School System officials approached Rolark and her husband in the late 1980s to initiate an annual Back-to-School event encouraging parents to walk their children to school on the first day. They offered cash prizes to the schools that showed the most participation. The Rolarks also established the “I Love Life and I Want to Live” contests each year offering cash prizes to students for essays, speeches, lyrics and posters emphasizing a love of life. It was their effort in combating youth violence and teen suicide.

“She was a very loving, lovable and generous lady with a heart in the right place,” said Joe Elam, who worked with the Rolarks since 1977 as a public relations consultant and editorial consultant for the United Black Fund. “She’s one of those great Black women who fought for civil rights and human rights for African Americans and people of color,” he added. “As president of the United Black Fund she continued the legacy of Dr. Rolark.”

Wilhelmina Rolark provided mentors to combat teen pregnancy in D.C. Public Schools, particularly with her “Circle of Hope” program.

“Her death marks the end of an era. All the great pioneering Black women civil rights leaders are exiting one by one,” Elam said. “Fannie Lou Hamer, Dr. C. Delores Tucker, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King. Mrs. Rolark was a stalwart civil rights attorney.”

Ofield Dukes, who worked with Rolark and her husband expanding the United Black Fund, said they opened doors for African American grassroots organizations to receive funds through national grant-makers. “The United Black Fund brought into the circle an array of grassroots organizations representing low-income people in the District of Columbia,” Dukes said. “It just was a new day for grassroots organizations that had been excluded and overlooked. They did a tremendous job of bringing those organizations into receiving funds. It set a pattern for Washington, but also nationally.”

In Ward 8, community activist Philip Pannell, Executive Director of the Anacostia Coordinating Council, commended Rolark’s work to educate residents about HIV and AIDS, holding annual health fairs. “She was very sensitive to the issue,” he said.

Across town, Aisha Karimah, Director of Community Affairs for WRC, who worked with Rolark many years hosting the city’s Annual Spelling Bee, reflected on Rolark’s tenacity. “She was steadfast and unmovable,” said Karimah about Rolark who was a member of Shiloh Baptist Church. “It showed in her love for young people and in her making sure that we made this a better place for them,” Karimah added. “She left no stone un-turned. I cannot imagine a city without Wilhelmina Rolark.”

Long-time colleague, attorney Jack H. Olender, whose law firm specializes in malpractice, commended Rolark’s work reforming laws for children in court. “She really did more than anyone else in this city for children’s rights,” he said. “She and Dr. Rolark were the ultimate partners.”

Some noted the irony of her “passing on Valentine’s Day.” They said she was going home to her loved one on a memorable day.

“We’ll always remember that she went home on Valentine’s Day. She was a symbol of love,” said civil rights activist Dick Gregory. “It’s about being lovable, and that’s what she was. She was so gentle and kind.” He told stories of her writing checks for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “She was brilliant. If she was a man and White she would have qualified for president of the United States.”

Rolark’s regional influence stretched to Prince George’s County where she was close friends with many of the elected officials there, including several who made history in county politics.

Prince George’s County Executive Jack B. Johnson, who has known Rolark many years, said he will miss his dear friend. “She was a very personal friend of mine and a member of my church. I got to know her on a flight from Detroit in 1982. Her advice and deep concern for me, as a person, and my family showed that she was not only a tremendous public servant, but also cared for people as individuals,” Johnson said. “That really showed in her life’s work. She was a gifted lawyer, a person of deep faith and values, and her life’s work left a lasting legacy for all of us.”

Wilhelmina Rolark is survived by her step-daughter, Denise Rolark-Barnes, who lives in Washington, D.C., and step-son Calvin Rolark Jr., who lives in Denver, CO., two grandsons, Desmond and Lafayette; and two nephews John Bowie, of Washington, D.C. and John Jackson, Jr., of Philadelphia; a niece, Linda Lenoir, in College Park, Md., seven grand nieces and nephews, and three great grand nieces and nephews.

Rolark-Barnes, who also hosts Reporter’s Roundtable, said she learned from her parents a commitment to service. She has been building on her family’s legacy all her life. “It’s almost like when my father died, I felt like he made an imprint on this community that could not be replaced. I could walk in his footsteps but it would never be the same as filling his shoes,” said Rolark-Barnes, also a wife and mother of two sons. “My step-mother made an impression on me, and we wear the same size, but I could never feel her shoes. The lessons I learned from both of them is that in being a servant and leader you do your job to the best of your ability in a way that serves people.”

By Sonsyrea Tate
WI Staff Writer
Thursday, February 16, 2006

On Saturday, February 18, 2006 civil rights leader Rev. Joseph Lowery will deliver the eulogy of attorney Wilhelmina J. Rolark. District of Columbia Councilman Marion Barry, also a civil rights activist, will offer remarks as well.

Rolark, a pioneering civil rights activist and former D.C. Council woman died Tuesday, Feb. 14, 1:30 p.m. at the Greater Southeast Hospital. The cause of death was colon cancer. She was 89.

Her long-time friends, including Dr. Dorothy Height, president emeritus of the National Council of Negro Women, will celebrate her life in a “home going” service this weekend.