{"product_id":"aint-no-back-to-a-merry-go-round","title":"Ain't No Back To a Merry-Go-Round","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ca title=\"Community Screenings Form\" href=\"https:\/\/www.collectiveeye.org\/pages\/host-a-screening\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0133\/2562\/files\/WebsiteButton_3bb924f4-b7af-47a7-98d9-8c2765d50eb0_480x480.jpg?v=1718641924\" style=\"margin-bottom: 6px; float: start;\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDirected by:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e  Ilana Trachtman\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReleased:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2026 (educational)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYear of Production:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2025\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRunning Time:\u003c\/strong\u003e 89 min\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e English\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSubtitle Options:\u003c\/strong\u003e English Closed Captions\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSubjects: \u003c\/strong\u003eRace Power and Privilege, US Studies, Activism, Judaic Studies \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLink to Study Guide:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1jfyJRjwvBVwdqAII4GnEH83PRp0VjHLr\/view?usp=sharing\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eLink\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e      \u003ciframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8G296-QpX-4?si=1FvycCaVkzER1jYZ\" height=\"315\" width=\"560\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e     \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e \u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e      \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAIN'T NO BACK TO A MERRY-GO-ROUND is the untold story of the first organized interracial civil rights protest in U.S. history. When 5 Howard University students sat on a Maryland carousel in 1960, the arrests made headlines. When the white community near Glen Echo Amusement Park joined the Black students in picketing, an extraordinary history-making partnership was born. The pickets attracted Nazis, a congressman, and a press avalanche. Picketing together over the sweltering summer led to partying together, and union organizers mentored student activists. Ten 1961 Freedom Riders, including Stokely Carmichael, were incubated on the Glen Echo picket line, and the carousel arrests were challenged in the Supreme Court (Griffin v. Maryland, 1964).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith never-before-seen footage, and immersive storytelling by Emmy Award-winning director Ilana Trachtman (Praying with Lior, Black in Latin America, The Pursuit), four living protesters rescue this forgotten history, revealing the price, and the power, of heeding the impulse to activism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAIN'T NO BACK TO A MERRY-GO-ROUND includes voiceover by noted actors Jeffrey Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Bob Balaban, Lee Grant, Peter Gallagher, Dominique Thorne, Alysia Reiner and Tracie Thoms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \"This is cinematic power\" — Spoiler Free Reviews  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\"Eye-opening and profound\" – Art New England \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\"Stirring... Enraging... Inspiring\" – Baltimore Magazine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAwards:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTelly Gold Award (Documentary)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBest Documentary Feature at the DC Black Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBest Documentary at the San Antonio Black International Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Audience Award at the Boston Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Women in Film Award at the St. Louis International Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Juror’s Building Bridges Award at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMajor Festival Selections:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaryland Film Festival (World Premiere)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDC\/DOX Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCharlotte Black Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSan Francisco Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKotka Human Rights Film Festival (Finland)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIndianapolis Black Documentary Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJXJ Washington Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRed Rock Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGary International Black Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTeaneck International Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBoston Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSt. Louis International Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAfrican Diaspora International Film Festival (NYC)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHamptons Doc Fest\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNew York Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSan Diego Black Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSan Diego International Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePortland Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCleveland Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEast Bay International Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBoca International Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAtlanta Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSarasota Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJFilm Pittsburgh\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLong Island Jewish Film Festival\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e      \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Ain’t  No Back To  a Merry-Go-Round is a superb documentary that highlights the heroic effort of  a group of predominantly Jewish Americans and mostly black students from Howard University to integrate an amusement park in Glen Echo, Maryland.  This little-known chapter in American history demonstrates the pivotal role those ordinary citizens played in the struggle for racial justice.”  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDr. Clarence Taylor, Professor Emeritus Baruch College and The Graduate Center City University of New York\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e “...we are engaging in a national project of racial reckoning. Uncovering the legacy of Black activism at Glen Echo ... fits well into this larger project. The film... will be invaluable in educating a public nostalgic about traditional amusement parks while largely ignoring their racial past.”\u003cbr\u003e— Victoria W. Wolcott, Professor, Department of History, University at Buffalo\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e        \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"This documentary around a lesser known campaign in the civil rights movement is more relevant today than ever before.  It shows solidarity in action and helps us understand how local struggles that build on community can have a huge impact\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.danarfisher.com\/\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDana R. Fisher\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Director, Center for Environment, Community, \u0026amp; Equity and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProfessor, American University \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e       \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round was a transformative centerpiece of our 2025 Juneteenth Celebration. The film’s emotional depth and historical insight sparked powerful conversations and left a lasting impact on our audience. It was an unforgettable experience that helped us honor the spirit of Juneteenth in every way.\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Ayanna Khan, President, Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e     \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“This is one of the best, most compelling, and well-done documentaries I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. It is required viewing in these challenging times.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMondaire Jones, Former Congressman, Member of U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and CNN Contributor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e      \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Ain't No Back to the Merry-Go-Round is a must-see documentary because of its historical and contemporary implications.  The documentary shows the power of people uniting against hate to forge equality... Students, parents, and school system employees need to see it so they can understand... how individuals put aside their differences to help create a world in which everyone's humanity is respected.\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTracy Oliver-Gary, K-12 Social Studies Supervisor, Montgomery County Public Schools\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb id=\"docs-internal-guid-07586139-7fff-0172-63e5-b8e638433a9e\"\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e           \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the filmmaker \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e      \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font_8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ellana Trachtman is an Emmy award-winning documentary director\/producer. For over twenty-five years, she has created programs for numerous networks including PBS, HBO Family, ABC-TV, Showtime, Discovery, Lifetime, and the Sundance Channel. llana believes that true stories, carefully told, have unique power to inspire compassion, action, and community-building. Her topics have ranged from the legacy of slavery in Latin America (Black in Latin America with Henry Louis Gates, PBS) to Gulf coast shrimpers (Our Heroes, Ourselves, Lifetime), glassblowing for at-risk youth (The Arts Advantage, ABC-TV) to transgender parents (The Pursuit, PBS.) Other favorite prime-time directing credits include the independent feature Mariachi High and Texas Ranch House. llana supervised production on PBS' History Detectives and Sundance’s Big Ideas for a Small Planet. Through her production company Ruby Pictures, Ilana made the feature documentary Praying with Lior  which played theatrically in over 60 cities in the US and abroad. The film garnered 6 Audience Awards for Best Documentary, the Grand Prix at the International Disability Film Festival in Moscow, and was a critic's pick of the New York Times, New York Magazine, Washington Post, and Philadelphia Inquirer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e            \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"C9DxTc\"\u003e\u003cb id=\"docs-internal-guid-11ad2532-7fff-a9e7-43bd-4551780ac1dc\"\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.collectiveeye.org\/pages\/screenings\"\u003eHost a Screening and Book the Filmmaker at your Event\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gmail_quote\"\u003e\n\u003cblockquote class=\"gmail_quote\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"pageContainer1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv title=\"Page 2\" class=\"page\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"layoutArea\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"column\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Ilana Trachtman","offers":[{"title":"University \u0026 College DVD (with PPR*)","offer_id":49164673253684,"sku":"AINT-U","price":375.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Digital Site License","offer_id":49164673286452,"sku":"AINT-D","price":550.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"DVD + DSL (w\/ PPR)","offer_id":49164673319220,"sku":"AINT-DD","price":625.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0133\/2562\/files\/aintnoback.png?v=1781642508","url":"https:\/\/www.collectiveeye.org\/products\/aint-no-back-to-a-merry-go-round","provider":"Collective Eye Films","version":"1.0","type":"link"}