Each year, approximately 2,000 students enrolled in nearly 200 D.C. public, charter, parochial and home schools participate in the spelling bee. For the past 26 years, the City-Wide Spelling Bee has been held at the studios of NBC4, where it is taped and later aired for general viewership. Bee held the following May because The Washington Informer was and still is not a daily newspaper. As an officer of the National Newspaper Publisher’s Association, a trade organization of over 300 African American-owned newspapers across the country, Dr. Rolark concluded that the national spelling be was maintaining an inherently racist policy because there were no African American-owned daily newspapers in the country at that time. Dr. Rolark argues that if, in a jurisdiction like Washington, D.C., where the majority of the student population is African American, students who might otherwise be eligible to participate in the spelling bee would be precluded from doing so unless a White-owned daily agreed to become the official sponsor. Dr. Rolark called in his legal counsel and wife, Wilhelmina J. Rolark, who threatened Scripps Howard with an injunction that would forbid the national competition to take place in the District of Columbia until the court ruled on the merits of the case alleging discrimination. Scripps Howard complied, and changed its rules allowing weekly newspapers sponsorship in the national competition. That year, the Loudon County Times, a weekly newspaper based in Loudon County, Virginia and the only other weekly newspaper to participate along with the Informer in the national spelling bee that year, produced the national spelling bee winner. Each year, approximately 2,000 students enrolled in nearly 200 D.C. Public, charter, parochial and home schools participate in the spelling bee. For the past 25 years, the City-Wide Spelling Bee has been held at the studios of NBC4, where it is taped and later aired for general viewership. Scripps, a diversified multi-media company with several daily and non-daily newspapers, established the National Spelling Bee to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabulary, learn concepts, and develop correct English that will help them all their lives. Spellers experience the satisfaction of learning language not only for the sake of correct spelling but also for the sake of cultural and intellectual literacy. The Washington Informer’s participation in Scripps National Spelling Bee helps to further those goals in the District of Columbia and addresses the issue of illiteracy, particularly among young Black youth. Since the Washington Informer Spelling Bee was started 27 years ago, the youngest participant would be 40 years old and the youngest would be 32. It has not been easy to keep up with the 25 winners who represented the District of Columbia in the National Bee, according to Rolark Barnes, but reports indicate that many of the spellers have gone on to live successful lives pursuing careers in law, public affairs and journalism. “If we want to improve the quality of life for all Americans,” said the late Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, publisher, “then we must begin by teaching our children to read, which they will not be able to achieve until they can learn to spell.” Now in its 27th year, Washington Informer publisher Denise Rolark Barnes believes the spelling bee is as important today as it was when Dr. White first brought the idea to Dr. Rolark. “We believe that improving literacy among all of our readers and their families is an essential element of our mission to inform, educate, empower and entertain the community we serve,” Rolark Barnes said. “The partnership that has endured between The Washington Informer, NBC4 and the D.C. Public Schools is one of the most meaningful relationships we have developed over the years, and we are proud to continue this relationship which directly benefits the children of our city,” Rolark Barnes added. WI
Dr. Mary White, chairman of the English and Language Arts Dept., congratulates John Krattenmaker, of Lafayette Elementary School, D.C.’s first winner of the Washington Informer Spelling Bee held 27 years ago.
Daphne Gaither, of Evans Junior High School, with Dr. Mary White and her team of spelling bee coordinators from the English and Language Arts Department of DC Public Schools.
Washington Informer publisher Dr. Calvin W. Rolark interviews spelling bee champion Ronald Benson-El during his weekly taping of Sound-Off on WYCB 1340-AM.
30TH ANNUAL WASHINGTON INFORMER SPELLING BEE SUPPLEMENT March 29, 2012
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