By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 24, 2019 – My today’s Facebook Memories was posted on September 24, 2011, by my “sister” Denise Rolark Barnes, Publisher of the Washington Informer, the award-winning African-American-owned newspaper, where I had the honour of being News Editor for more than 12 years when I previously lived in Washington, D.C. for 21 years before returning to The Bahamas “permanently” in 1996.
As I do on a daily basis, I originally intended to post this as a “Facebook Reminder,” but it provided me with yet another opportunity to “remind the powers-that-be” at The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism that advertising in the Black Press of America should have a higher position on its list of tourism promotion priorities in the aftermath of the devastation caused to the country by Hurricane Dorian.
Because of my experience working with The Informer, over the years I have been on a relentless campaign to convince the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism to recognize that it makes good sense to advertise in selected Black newspapers in the United States, from where The Bahamas – as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations — attracts the lion’s share of its tourists.
For example, the Washington Informer is widely circulated in the Washington metropolitan area, where many well-educated African-Americans live who either work for the federal government or in the private sector and annually have enough disposable income to take a vacation in a foreign country. Not only is The Bahamas foreign and nearby – both Grand Bahama and Bimini are less than 100 miles from Florida – but as predominantly Black country, more than 70 percent of The Bahamas’ population and African-Americans have a shared ancestral history of having roots in Mother Africa.
I certainly hope that as The Bahamas seeks to rebound from the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian to two major islands in the northern area of the country – Abaco and Grand Bahama – Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar and his management team at the Ministry of Tourism would give serious consideration to advertising in the Washington Informer and selected other Black newspapers that are members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents more than 200 print and digital Black newspapers in the United States.
To give you an idea of the powerful presence the Washington Informer has in the Washington metropolitan area – particularly in Prince George’s County, Maryland, where it is the sponsor of the P.G. County annual Spelling Bee, in addition to sponsoring the District of Columbia Spelling Bee – here’s an article written by its current Senior Editor, D. Kevin McNeir, that was published on October 18, 2017, in the newspaper’s 53rd anniversary edition:
WASHINGTON INFORMER REMAINS “TRUE TO ITS MISSION”
By D. Kevin McNeir
When The Washington Informer was founded 53 years ago by Dr. Calvin Rolark he wanted to provide a vehicle for sharing positive news about D.C.’s Black community.
And it’s no secret that his daughter, Denise Rolark Barnes, who took over the helm after her father’s death as the publisher, has remained adamant about honoring his legacy and continuing his directive. In fact, she’s added her own personal touches and goals, increasing her staff who beat the pavement to uncover and share positive stories that can often only be seen within the pages or website of The Informer.
“We have a real quality staff including good writers and photographers who understand the importance of the Black Press and who support that,” she said. “This is something that you cannot do alone.”
“I’ve been blessed by be surrounded by those who get it and want to keep our people informed and educated about issues of importance to our community,” said Rolark Barnes, a Howard University-educated attorney who will turn 63 in December.
Of course, like any business, Rolark Barnes realizes that she has to keep her eye on the bottom line so that the doors remain open and the historic newspaper can continue to roll out issues of substance week after week. For some Black-owned papers, changes in the industry and increased costs have been overwhelming, forcing some members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) to shut down their presses. But not this feisty publisher.
“Blacks across the nation find themselves in a state of complacency — in a sort of malaise because many of us have accomplished our initial goals and feel like we’re done,” she said. “But we’re not. The Black Press defined its mission early in the 1800s and it’s the same one that should, that must guide us today. What we do is far too important to shirk our responsibility.”
Rolark Barnes, the former chairwoman for the NNPA, maintains an engaging rapport with other publishers across the U.S. with just over 200 newspapers who are members of the Association. Many of those papers have children or even grandchildren of the founding publishers now at the helm.
But will the award-winning Washington Informer become a third-generation publication? Rolark Barnes, the mother of two sons, said she remains “optimistic.”
“Ideally, if one of my sons were to one day take over the paper, that would be a perfect scenario,” she said. “When it comes to building institutions, and building legacies, that’s what I call a ‘perfect storm.’ But the reality is it doesn’t always work out that way.”
“Even more, what really matters is the institution. It’s the institution itself that needs to survive. I can imagine when the Graham family decided to sell The Washington Post in 2013, it had to have been a very difficult decision. [The Graham family first began publishing the Post in 1877.] And while it would no longer be published by their family, I’m sure their goal was to make sure whoever purchased it recognized the value of their brand and would be willing and able to maintain that brand in the future so that it would continue to be a top-notch national newspaper.”
“As long as the publisher of The Washington Informer remembers the reason my father first founded this newspaper, we’ll be just fine,” she added.
But is it really worth the daily grind, the long hours and the juggling act she sometimes finds herself doing in order to convince potential advertisers that a partnership with a Black-owned publication serves as a win-win situation? Rolark Barnes responded without hesitation.
“Some want to ask if the Black Press still has a role — if we’re still necessary? she queried.
“Look, our offices are located in Ward 8 and my husband and I live in Ward 8,” she said. “Regardless of the men and women who have served as the leaders of this community in Southeast, the problems we’ve been facing haven’t changed much over the years.”
“Ward 8 has been a food, health and economic dessert for generations. That’s nothing new. We’ve existed under negative presidents in the White House. The changes that have occurred were only possible when the community became engaged and it’s been the Black Press who has given voice to those people.”
“As long as those in our community, especially Blacks, have stories to tell and causes to fight, there must be a presence, the Black Press, to communicate those issues. That’s what The Washington Informer has done for 53 years. And that’s what we’re going to continue to do,” she said.
The Washington Informer will hold an Open House from 3-7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19 in the newly renovated lower basement of the paper’s offices, 3117 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. Come meet the publisher, the staff and share your views about our paper.
