Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round

Synopsis

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 ten 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. Please stay for a Q&A after the film: Cheryl Cox WilIiams, NAACP Anchorage, President Jasmin Smith, Alaska Black Chamber of Commerce, President Moderator: Roy Mitchell, Former Board President Congregation Beth Scholom ” It is heart-breaking, infuriating, and inspiring. ‘Most of the people who make history are invisible,’ we are told. Thankfully, documentaries like these make them not just visible but unforgettable.” rogerebert.com With an introduction by NAACP Anchorage Chapter.