I am requesting that the gym at Bladensburg Community Center be named in honor of the late (2021) Grandmaster Dr. Clifford L. Thomas, Sr., the recipient of the first Distinguished African American Award from the Town of Bladensburg (2013) and longstanding tenth-degree black belt instructor (https://www.ramblers-tkd.org/pages/dr-clifford-l-thomas). He was the President and CEO of We Lead By Example, Inc./Tae Kwon Do Ramblers Self-Defense Systems and an outstanding advocate for the Center who taught thousands of students for more than three decades under the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission system.

Dr. Thomas taught a successful martial arts program for children and adults, bringing positive attention to both Bladensburg and the Center through media coverage of his programs, including featuring his annual Walk and Rally for Bullying Prevention and Child Safety, as well as his workshops on senior safety and self-defense (https://www.ramblers-tkd.org/). He dedicated his life to his art and chose to teach in Bladensburg and at the Center because of his appreciation for the significance and impact of affordable programs offered by community centers on local residents and for the sense of community he felt was embodied in this thriving municipality.

His program continues, a testament to his living legacy. Dr. Thomas eminently deserves to be honored through the naming of the gym and the placement of a plaque and photo in the front lobby, where those who enter can see his life's work remembered and be inspired to lead by example as he did.