Publisher
The Washington Informer
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Denise Rolark Barnes
Publisher of The Washington Informer
Denise Rolark Barnes is the publisher and second-generation owner of The Washington Informer, succeeding her father, the late Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, who founded the newspaper in 1964.
The Washington Informer is a multi-media organization serving the African American community in the Washington metropolitan area. Denise is also president of Washington Informer Charities, a non-profit organization that promotes 21st-century literacy and journalism through writing competitions, internships, scholarships and other events promoting African American history, culture, and literature.
Rolark Barnes is a past chair of the National Newspaper Publishers Association – the Black Press of America. She serves on the boards of several local non-profit, community and municipal organizations, including the Washington Convention and Sports Authority (Events DC), the DC Martin Luther King Holiday Commission, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and the Pan African Collective. She is president of the Maryland, Delaware, DC Press Association and a founding member of Word In Black. Rolark Barnes is also a board member of Leadership Greater Washington, as well as an inductee in the D.C. Hall of Fame.
Rolark Barnes lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Lafayette Barnes. They are the proud parents of two adult sons.
Friday, August 25, 2023
11:30am – 12:30pm EDT