[Ed. Note: Passing along info from Lamond-Riggs Library Friends shared on February 18. I have no information about the impact of recent federal action regarding DC’s decoupling legislation on filing for tax year 2025.]
From Lamond-Riggs Library Friends
[Update from LRLF 2/21/2026: The AARP DC Tax-Aide Help Desk provided the following information: We are of course aware of the controversy over DC 2025 tax law and are monitoring the situation. Until DC tells us differently, we are continuing to prepare DC returns according to the law enacted by the DC Council last November. If that changes, we will decide what to do based on actions taken by the DC Government. As of now, DC continues to accept returns we prepare under the DC Council’s enactment.]
The Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library is offering free limited tax preparation services for eligible residents. AARP Foundation Tax Aides are available 11am-4pm on Mondays and Wednesdays until the end of tax season.
The Friends of Lamond-Riggs Library invites neighbors to celebrate Black History Month with three special events hosted in Meeting Room One at the Lamond-Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE.
Saturday, February 7 at 3pm – Mrs. Lavonda Broadnax discusses the writings of African American Women during the Civil War Era
This project capitalizes on the discovery of lesser-known works by African American women of the US Civil War era (1861-1865). The documents, all available in digital format, consist of an array of various types of fiction and nonfiction. Their writings provide a unique perspective on the trials and triumphs of the enslaved. Their texts also reflect their post-slavery politics, spirituality, and activism. This remarkable collection of documents enables users to acquire new information regarding African Americans that has traditionally been omitted. The current project expands the initial compilation, which won the Zora Neale Hurston Award given by the American Library Association.
Tuesday, February 10 at 5pm – Mr. Hans Charles – Cinematographer/Producer
Hans Charles is an Emmy-nominated and three time Peabody winning cinematographer/producer. His recent work includes cinematographer and one of the executive producers of the Showtime documentary feature, The Honey Trap, and cinematographer of the CW’s television series All American: Homecoming, Showtime’s docuseriesWe need to Talk about Cosby,Bitchin: The Sound and Fury of Rick James,Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men, and Mr. Soul! and Netflix’s 13th. Hans’s photography practice centers around the history and application of portraiture.
Hans is the co-creator and co-host of a film and pop culture podcast called “Back Of The Theater.” He is also a film associate professor at George Mason University in Virginia. He is a principal partner at Align Pictures and currently resides in the Mid-Atlantic of the United States.
Tuesday, February 17 at 3pm – DC Office of Planning (OP) – Commemoration of Sterling A. Brown
Join the Lamond-Riggs Library Friends and the DC Office of Planning during Black History Month for a program honoring the legacy of poet and scholar Sterling A. Brown. Representatives from OP’s Commemorate DC initiative will share an overview of the commemorative project, including the design process and community engagement that informed it. The program will feature members of Sterling A. Brown’s family and the project artist team, who will reflect on his life, local ties to the neighborhood, and the significance of commemorating his legacy in public space.
Location: Lamond-Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE
Join the Lamond-Riggs Library Friends for a heartwarming holiday gathering where neighbors come together to sip hot cocoa, nibble on cookies, and get crafty! Whether you’re dreaming big or decorating small, there’s something for everyone:
Create your own vision board to set intentions for the new year.
Design festive holiday ornaments to take home or hang on the library’s Community Tree, a symbol of shared joy and togetherness.
Enjoy warm cocoa and sweet treats in a cozy, welcoming space.
Celebrate Friends of the Library Week at the Lamond-Riggs Library Open House! Meet the friendly new library staff, explore what’s new on the shelves, and take a fresh look at all the amazing services your library has to offer.
Sign up for a library card (if you don’t already have one)
Join the Friends of the Library and help support programs, events, and more
Enjoy light refreshments, community connection, and maybe even a surprise giveaway!
At a recent DC Public Library (DCPL) Board of Trustees meeting, Neighbor Robert Oliver was presented with a well-deserved letter of appreciation written by Mayor Muriel Bowser.
A resident of North Michigan Park, Mr. Oliver was instrumental in getting the Lamond-Riggs Library Friends group up and running again in 2017 after years of being defunct. That effort was timely for the rebuilding of the neighborhood library. Since reviving the Lamond-Riggs Library Friends, one can often find him at the library pitching in for different events. On more than one occasion, I have seen him picking up trash in the bioretention areas on the library grounds.
In 2021, Mr. Oliver was tapped to be president of the citywide Federation of Friends for DCPL. In addition to his work supporting DCPL, he contributes a lot of time to community work in Riggs Park through the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association development task force.
I often say things do not happen in the neighborhood by magic. It is people like Mr. Oliver who put in the time and effort to make things happen.
Location: Lamond-Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE
Check out the Oren Levine & Friends jazz session tonight at 6:30 at the library.
June 27, 2025
Kids’ Art Space Pop Up at The Modern
Time: 4:00 pm-7:00 pm
Location: 395 Ingraham Street NE (former interim library space at The Modern)
Friday afternoon, join the Cafritz Foundation at their next kids’ pop-up event in their community maker space at The Modern — a creative hub for local kids and families to build, explore, and imagine together.
Explore the railroad that built Fort Totten: the Washington Branch of the B&O Railroad, still running today as the Metro’s Red Line. Kids will work together to build the iconic Thomas Viaduct and an iron truss bridge.
All materials provided. Free and open to all ages.
Families will also be invited to fill out a short survey to help shape future programming.
Location: Lamond-Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE
Celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the new library. Children’s activities take place throughout the day.
At 12:30 pm, join neighbors Michelle Lisa Herman and Deborah Grimstead, two of the three co-authors of “Fort Totten and Lamond-Riggs: A Historical Tapestry,” for an author talk to discuss the companion book for the Heritage Wall designed and installed by Herman at the Lamond-Riggs Library.
Kick off this summer’s children’s festival series of free, community-centered fun for the kids. Join DC Fray + The Cafritz Foundation to play games like kickball, cornhole, jenga, bouncy balls, sack race; or get cool temporary tattoos. This festival series is always a good time.
PlayStation 4 Video Game Tournament & Virtual Reality Play
and more…
Adult Events
12:30 pm – The Making of the Companion Book for the Heritage Wall.
Our own Deborah Grimstead and Michelle Lisa Herman will lead this author talk. They will discuss “Fort Totten and Lamond-Riggs: A Historical Tapestry,” a written compilation that illuminates the stories behind the 42 Heritage Wall images.
After the event, each panelist is available to discuss the book with interested patrons, and light refreshments are available. This event is hosted in Conference Room 1.
This Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 10:00 am, the Lamond-Riggs Library hosts a Special Juneteenth Storytime with the book launch for “Tell Me About Juneteenth” by illustrator DeAndra Hodge.
Free copies of the book will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Supplies limited.
Passing along information I received about an upcoming Young Archaeologists’ Club program at Lamond-Riggs Library hosted by a DC educational nonprofit called Archaeology in the Community. Sounds pretty cool:
This is an opportunity for youth interested in archaeology to work with professional archaeologists and explore STEM-related topics through hands-on activities, games, and crafts. Participation is free, but registration is required.
The program is designed for middle-school-aged students. The one-day engaging sessions go from now through August at different locations throughout Washington, DC and virtually. Participants can choose which days, locations, and topics work best for them. Our next sessions will be April 26-27 at the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library. If there is a way to reach out to families in the Riggs Park neighborhood about this opportunity, they can read more about the schedule and register on Archaeology in the Community’s website. Spots are limited!
The Heritage Wall at the Lamond-Riggs Library now has a beautiful companion book, “Fort Totten and Lamond-Riggs: A Historical Tapestry,” co-authored by Michelle Lisa Herman, Stephanie Mills Trice, and Deborah Grimstead. The book stitches together written narratives and excerpts of oral histories from contributors to the Heritage Wall, as well as photos of the original artwork from the permanent installation.
Ms. Herman, a multidisciplinary artist, created the stunning Heritage Wall at the Lamond-Riggs Library. Ms. Mills Trice created the DC Fort Totten Storytellers oral history project several years ago. The two teamed up to apply for a Community Culture & Heritage Projects grant from HumanitiesDC to produce a companion guide for the Heritage Wall. Local resident Ms. Grimstead volunteered with the project team. The three worked together for one year doing research, conducting roughly 11 interviews with participants, collecting text submissions from participants, and designing the book. Ms. Herman and Ms. Mills Trice presented the final product at the HumanitiesDC Community Showcase at the Anacostia Arts Center on April 10, 2025.
Authors Stephanie Mills Trice and Michelle Lisa Herman at the HumanitiesDC Community Showcase, April 10, 2025.
The project team is finishing up work with the People’s Archive to house the oral histories at the DC Public Library. The oral histories will eventually be publicly available at https://digdc.dclibrary.org.
I am looking forward to listening to the oral histories from the tapestry project once that work is completed. It was such a treat to be able to see the finished book at the community showcase and talk to other teams doing incredible projects across the city. (Seriously, people are doing really interesting, culturally rich work all over the city supported by HumanitiesDC).
The Heritage Wall deserved an equally beautiful companion piece, and the project team delivered. Kudos to Ms. Herman, Ms. Mills, Trice, and Ms. Grimstead for their wonderful contribution capturing the history and people of our local neighborhoods.
By Robert Oliver, president of the Lamond-Riggs Library Friends
On February 9, 2025, the Lamond-Riggs Library Friends screened the documentary “Barry Farm: Community, Land, and Justice in Washington, DC” at the Lamond-Riggs Library in celebration of Black History Month. Some audience members were well versed in the history of Barry Farm while others knew little.
Barry Farm was originally a working plantation owned by a man named James Barry, hence the name Barry Farm. Union Army General Oliver Otis Howard led the Freedmen’s Bureau after the Civil War. In 1867, the Freedmen’s Bureau purchased 375 acres of land from Barry to found Barry Farm. The original inhabitants of Barry Farm paid for their land. An interesting historical footnote is that Howard University bears the name of General Howard.
Barry Farm became a thriving Black enclave. However, pressures from the “Great Migration” as African-Americans moved North for better jobs and to escape “Jim Crow” impacted the Barry Farm community.
The Washington of that time decided to address the migration by building a housing project within the Barry Farm community. Loss of jobs, deterioration of the public housing, and the crack epidemic led to the decline of this community.
Barry Farm resident Emily Edmondson and her sister Mary participated in the famous 1848 attempted slave escape via The Pearl, a ship docked at DC’s wharf. They were eventually caught and sold into slavery before the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, an abolitionist, raised funds to purchase their freedom.
Lastly, Mrs. Linda Leaks, an activist who was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame on October 5, 2023, shared her knowledge of Barry Farm. She discussed the involvement of Empower DC during the final days of Barry Farm’s existence.
To learn more, you can access the DC Public Library Kanopy Service. Follow the instructions. Then you too can view “Barry Farm” and other great documentaries at your leisure.
[Updated 2/2/2025 to correct spelling of Nikki Giovanni]
The Lamond-Riggs Library Friends is hosting Black History Month events throughout February at the Lamond-Riggs Library (5401 South Dakota Avenue NE, 1st Floor Meeting Room). Light refreshments will be provided.
Thursday, February 6, 2025: Commemoration of the Slaves who Built the US Capitol | 1pm – 2pm
The DC Office of Planning (OP) hosts “Foundations of Freedom: Recognizing the enslaved People who Built the US Capitol.” This interactive program features the Office of Planning Staff and the artist as they discuss the commemorative program process. A question-and-answer session follows.
Saturday, February 8, 2025: Helping to Bring Black History to Television | 2pm – 3pm
Nick Lindner, camera operator and Lamond-Riggs community member, will host a presentation on his participation in documentary work, the role and importance of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and his contributions to important PBS programming such as “Reconstruction” and “The Black Church.”
Sunday, February 9, 2025: Barry Farm Documentary | 2pm – 3pm
This documentary addresses the unfinished story of Barry Farm, founded in 1867. It is a portrayal of the people who built a community from nothing to its eventual succumbing to urban renewal in 2018. It is a must watch for those interested in DC history.
Sunday, February 16, 2025: Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project Documentary | 2pm – 4pm
Nikki Giovanni died, at the age of eighty-one, on December 9, 2024. She left a rich legacy of work ranging from children’s poetry to calls for Black Power. The documentary, as told by Nikki, follows her life from her earliest memories to her senior years. It is funny, sad, and poetic.
Metro and DC Public Library are partnering to offer Metro Lift and Senior SmarTrip card registration at select library locations. Eligible residents save 50% on bus and rail fares.
Representatives will be at Lamond-Riggs Library August 12-16. 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE Monday – Wednesday 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Thursday 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Friday 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Bring current government-issued ID with proof of age, phone number, SNAP electronic benefits transfer card, and SNAP benefits summary (household).
During the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J Huff Community Library “Heritage Wall” dedication event and artist talk last year, many attendees expressed an interest in an “index” to complement the artwork. Artist Michelle Lisa Herman and Stephanie Mills Trice have been awarded a Humanities DC grant to develop a printed publication to serve as both an “index” of the Heritage Wall and to highlight the history of the Lamond-Riggs and Fort Totten area. Copies of the final publication will be distributed to neighborhood organizations and the library.
Michelle and Stephanie are now asking for previous participants and contributors to tell the story of their contributed materials and their connections to the Lamond-Riggs and Fort Totten neighborhoods so they may include them in this publication.
They would love for you to fill out this form to supply information about your contributions, or if you prefer, provide contact information so they can conduct a short oral history interview.
During the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J Huff Community Library “Heritage Wall” dedication event and artist talk last year, many attendees expressed an interest in an “index” to complement the artwork. Artist Michelle Lisa Herman and Stephanie Mills Trice have been awarded a Humanities DC grant to develop a printed publication to serve as both an “index” of the Heritage Wall and to highlight the history of the Lamond-Riggs and Fort Totten area. Copies of the final publication will be distributed to neighborhood organizations and the library.
Michelle and Stephanie are now asking for previous participants and contributors to tell the story of their contributed materials and their connections to the Lamond-Riggs and Fort Totten neighborhoods so they may include them in this publication.
They would love for you to fill out this form to supply information about your contributions, or if you prefer, provide contact information so they can conduct a short oral history interview.
If you submitted a photo featured on the Heritage Wall at the Lamond-Riggs Library, artist Michelle Lisa Herman created a small print of the square with your photo as a memento. Please pick up your small print at the library during business hours from branch manager David Gaston. Library hours are 9:00 am-8:00 pm Monday – Wednesday; 12:00 pm-8:00 pm on Thursday; 10:00 am-6:00 pm Friday & Saturday; and 1:00 pm-5:00 pm on Sunday (closed on holidays).
Also, library officials are looking for the individual(s) who submitted the photo in the square pictured below. The photo is of four individuals holding a framed picture of a woman in profile. A small print is available for pickup.
If this photo of four individuals holding a picture frame is your photo, pick up a small print at Lamond-Riggs Library.
By Robert Oliver, president of the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library Friends
Lamond-Riggs Library Heritage Wall Official Celebration with (left to right): Robert Oliver (Lamond-Riggs Library Friends president), David Gaston (Lamond-Riggs Library branch manager), Waveney Bryant, Shirley Bryant, artist Michelle Lisa Herman, and Charles Bryant II. Photo courtesy Barbara Rogers.
The Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library celebrated its one-year anniversary on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. The day began with a Happy Birthday Story Time at 10:30 a.m. and again at 11:15 a.m led by children’s librarian Jesse Williamson. After story time, the children cut squares for a paper quilt in celebration of the one-year anniversary.
The adult programming began at noon. Sara Ramson led the festivities with a captivating harp performance. The audience was amazed by her mastery of the instrument despite her youth.
Sarah Ramson on harp. Photo courtesy Robert Oliver
Next, the Heritage Wall Dedication Ceremony began at 12:30 p.m. Artist Michelle Lisa Herman held an artist talk about the journey from conception to completion of her work creating the Heritage Wall. Michelle explained the features of her art via examples from earlier commissions. She created an interactive piece using live monitors that captured and displayed the viewer’s reactions to the piece, for example.
DC Public Library commissioned Ms. Herman to express “community,” which was the popular reply by patrons when asked to give a one-word response best describing their neighborhood. Her response was a digital quilt. Each square features a picture and a memento such as a cloth, fabric, or embroidery, contributed by community members. Each square stitched together forms the digital quilt.
Michelle Lisa Herman, artist of the Heritage Wall at the Lamond-Riggs Library. Photo courtesy Robert Oliver.
Michelle said this digital quilt presented some unique difficulties. A quality image requires 300 pixels or dots per inch at minimum. But this project is the size of a billboard. Billboards only require 30 pixels or dots per inch since a billboard is meant to be viewed from afar. Also, the older analog photos quickly lost resolution during enlargement. Luckily, Michelle was able to craft a solution for both problems.
Michelle concluded with a question-and-answer session. Creating an index of photos submitted for the work was a top question. However, to do so would require research since some donees asked not to have their name published.
Next, we gathered around the stairwell for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Branch manager David Gaston thanked his staff, student volunteers, and others for their support. He also recognized the Committee to Rename the Library for their work. Lastly, Mr. Gaston recited a list of accomplishments during the past year and promised more to come. I thanked Mr. Gaston for his dedication and hard work to making the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library what it is today.
Lamond-Riggs Library branch manager David Gaston. Photo courtesy Barbara Rogers.Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association president Barbara Rogers. Photo courtesy Barbara Rogers.
The ribbon cutting was done by the widows of Charles and Robert Bryant of the Bryant & Bryant Architects. This firm developed the architectural plans for both the original Lamond-Riggs Library and the current Shepherd Park/Juanita E. Thornton Library. Charles I. Bryant, II watched as his mother, Waveney Bryant, and his aunt, Shirley Bryant, cut the dedication ribbon.
Lillian Huff, after whom the library is named, and the Bryant brothers are featured in the center of the quilt.
New Heritage Wall at the Lamond-Riggs Library, a digital quilt created by artist Michelle Lisa Herman from fabric swatches and photo contributions from community members. Photo courtesy Barbara Rogers.
Everyone then convened in the conference room to chat, network, and enjoy the light refreshments provided by the Friends and the pizza provided by the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA). Lastly, everyone enjoyed the One-Year Anniversary cake.
I personally wish to thank David Gaston, the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association, the Library Friends, Michelle Lisa Herman, and most importantly, the community for making this event a success!
One year anniversary cake. Photo courtesy Barbara Rogers.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 