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 Roots to Rap
Rahiel Tesfamariam
Friday, October 15, 2004; Page 28
Who is Holding the Torch?
On May 23, 1995, Concerned Black Men, Inc. held its 13th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratory Contest in honor of Dr. Calvin Rolark, who had passed away seven months prior. The essay topic, which was based on one of Dr. Rolark’s personal slogans, “If it is to be, it is up to me”, allowed me, at the age of fourteen, to explore how I viewed myself in relation to the world around me.
The night before the deadline for our anniversary edition, I discovered the essay amidst a collection of writing dating back to my years at Jefferson Junior High School and a wooden plaque congratulating me for being a finalist in the contest. Serving as a testament to Dr. Calvin Rolark’s legacy, that piece of paper proved that the founder of The Washington Informer had touched my life long before I ever picked up a copy of the newspaper or stepped foot in its offices.
There is a great amount of inspiration to be derived from those that sacrifice their own personal comfort for the sake of others. Very few people grow up saying that they are willing to put themselves on the altar for their fellow man and for their community, but those who dare to are the ones we never allow ourselves to forget. They live on forever in our minds and hearts. Like folklore and the great Negro spirituals, we tell the tales of those ancestors for generations, hoping that seeds will be planted and take root.
Dr. Rolark is still that beacon of hope for the young and old today. Little Black boys, who desire to change the world, will find in him a man that did more than dream to do so. Little Black girls, who long for leadership and a father figure who cares for their well-being, will find in D.C. the remnants of Dr. Rolark’s influence.
See, there are very few people whose lives extend beyond the things that they can see and touch. Most people can only impact what they can directly encounter. But there are those – and they only come around once upon a time – who find in thoughts, words, love and compassion the ability to touch the world.
It is my hope that the spirit that led Dr. Rolark to change his piece of the world has not yet died in the rest of us. There was a time in history where Black people didn’t need funding or approval to be activists; “The Movement” was all they knew and cared about. There was no room or time to rest because there was always work to be done. If we integrated schools, we had to ensure that we could still have something all our own. If we marched with people from all walks of life today, we had to make sure that we got together in the privacy of our homes and planned for tomorrow. If our families got proper services and resources, we had to make sure our brothers and sisters in Africa got them as well. Work never ended!
Dr. Rolark had that spirit long after it went out of style, long after Black Power was no longer the catch phrase and Freedom Rides were no longer the thing to do. Dr. Rolark always saw the need to “be down for the cause.” Where is the army now? Have all our soldiers died off or been killed? Who will be the burden barriers?
I didn’t have the honor of ever meeting Dr. Rolark but in my time at The Washington Informer, I have been privileged to hear from people all over this city and country stories of why his memory forever lives on. Hopefully, his passing served to pass on a torch that will never die.
For Rahiel Tesfamariam send email to rahielt@washingtoninformer.com.
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