“Where is this Jim Crow section
On this merry-go-round,
Mister, cause I want to ride?
Down South where I come from
White and colored
Can’t sit side by side.
Down South on the train
There’s a Jim Crow car.
On the bus we’re put in the back—
But there ain’t no back
To a merry-go-round!
Where’s the horse
for a kid that’s black?”
– Langston Hughes 1942
This precise, profound movie was the catalyst for the documentary AIN’T NO BACK TO A MERRY-GO-ROUND shown at the Spokane Jewish Film Festival. Spokane’s NAACP chapter co-hosted the evening. It highlighted a provocative, intelligent audience discussion with three prominent members of the Black and Jewish communities guiding our current road forward amid turbulent times. A sold-out crowd was treated to an evening of history with solid entertainment and enlightenment toward both groups’ possible futures.
The movie delved deeply into the segregated days in Washington D.C. at Glen Echo Amusement Park. The Black community was not allowed to enter the park, enjoy the rides, swim in the pool, nor ride the huge carousel in the center of the property. It was 1960 when the Non-Violent Action Group (NAG) decided that a change was necessary. It was not an easy battle. Watching the clips from this time was difficult and sickening. It was inspiring when the Jewish community decided to stand together with the Afro-American community to protest side-by-side for equality and respect as human beings. They were relentless. “Drive…drive…drive.” These brave, courageous men and women were the beginning of the future Freedom Fighters.
The film and the discussion clearly showed how strong minority groups can become when they join together for a common cause. One participant stated that she remembered no one stood up for the Jews when WWII began. This was shocking to her. She could not live with herself if she did the same thing for a fellow American. It was uplifting.
AIN’T NO BACK TO A MERRY-GO -ROUND was exactly what an attendee would expect from a film festival… compelling filmmaking and a coming together once again of two marginalized groups of people. This is cinematic power.
