WASHINGTON — The Lamond-Riggs Boys & Girls Club reunion was all about celebrating community. It was a time to celebrate not only the rich legacy of the rec center, and all the successful professionals who came through its doors, but also the history of Riggs Park and the African American families who called it home in the changing climate of America in the 1960s.
It was a celebration of a neighborhood that would become a large Black middle class population by the 1980s. The reunion felt like a big family affair.
There were loving accolades to pillars of the neighborhood, like Mrs. Baker, who was front-and-center at 102 years old. Mr. Biggs, at 95, traveled from North Carolina to attend the event.
The afternoon was full of reminiscing and laughter between old friends and teammates, like Former Lamond-Riggs Boys Club football player Richard Dyer, who would go on to be the current president and general manager here at WUSA9.
The rich fabric of this community is so intricately woven into D.C.'s history that it warranted a visit from the city's mayor, Muriel Bowser, who sang the community's praises.
This tightly knit neighborhood help to build the foundational success of many of those in attendance and it felt uplifting and inspiring to hear the old stories and the plans for the future of the rec center that continues to be a nurturing safe haven for a new generation of young people who call Riggs Park home.
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