Documentary details 1960 civil rights protest at Glen Echo Park

“Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round” is the untold story of the first organized interracial civil rights protest in U.S. history. Join us for a special screening of this documentary on Monday, June 1, at 7 p.m., at the Village Center.

When five Black college students sat on a segregated Maryland carousel in 1960, their arrests made headlines. When the Jewish community near Glen Echo Amusement Park joined the protest, a history-making interracial demonstration was born. The cause, and the collaboration, provoked counter protests by the American Nazi party and brought Congressmen and national leaders to the picket line.

Picketing together led to partying together, union bosses mentored student activists, and 10 1961 Freedom Riders emerged, including Stokely Carmichael. With never-before seen footage, and immersive storytelling by director Ilana Trachtman, four living protesters rescue this untold story, revealing the price, and the power, of heeding the impulse to activism. This screening runs 89 minutes and is not rated. Registration is required. Please click on the “Sign Up for Programs” button at the top of the page.