FILMS
In June of 1960, despite the obstacles of sweltering summer heat and the violence of American Nazi Party counter-protestors, a contingent of Black students from Howard University found themselves joined by white suburbanites, many of whom were Jewish to protest the segregated Glen Echo Amusement Park in Maryland. Emmy-award winning director Ilana Trachtman reveals the story behind this unlikely alliance which was the first organized interracial civil rights protest in US history. Featuring gripping historical footage and vivid firsthand testimonials her film highlights a little-known moment in US history. A fierce and brave protest that found union bosses collaborating with student leaders and picketers developing unexpected friendships would ultimately give birth to some of the future giants of the Civil Rights Movement. With narration by Jeffrey Wright and Mandy Patinkin, Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round serves as a timely reminder of how far we’ve come and how far we still may have to go.
Official Selection: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Boston Jewish Film Festival, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Winner – Building Bridges Award – Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
“With its rich historical narrative and compelling delivery, this documentary is a must-watch that offers valuable lessons and lasting inspiration for all.” - Chris Jones, Overly Honest Reviews
Film Schmooze
Following the film, join us for a Film Schmooze led by Dr. Rachel Kranson. Film Schmooze is a casual post-film discussion sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Jewish Studies Program.
Rachel Kranson
Film Schmooze Scholar
Dr. Rachel Kranson is the director of Jewish Studies and associate professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. A scholar of post-WWII American Jewish history, gender, and sexuality, she is the co-editor of A Jewish Feminine Mystique: Jewish Women in Postwar America (2010, National Jewish Book Award finalist) and Ambivalent Embrace: Jewish Upward Mobility in Postwar America (2017, Immigrant and Ethnic History Society First Book Award finalist). Dr. Kranson has held fellowships at the Frankel Center for Advanced Jewish Studies at the University of Michigan and Hadassah-Brandeis Institute at Brandeis University, and her writing has appeared in such venues as The Washington Post, Lilith, The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, American Jewish History, Journal of Jewish Identities, the T&T Clark Reader in Abortion and Religion, among others. Dr. Kranson has held leadership positions at the Jewish Women’s Archive, the Center for Jewish History, the American Jewish Historical Society, and the Association for Jewish Studies. Her current book manuscript, tentatively titled Religious Misconceptions, focuses on American Jewish engagement in abortion politics during the era of Roe V. Wade.
Tim Smith
Special Guest – Ain't No Back to a Merry-Go-Round
Life-long Pittsburgh resident and Center of Life’s CEO, Tim Smith, is affectionately known as “PT” (short for Pastor Tim). His roots in Hazelwood run deep and he’s worked and volunteered in the community since the 1980s. His passion for connecting with families led him to create Center of Life in 2001 as a nonprofit and community empowerment organization founded on PT's personal philosophies that guide the organization’s direction and impact: giving people the tools they need to not only succeed, but to lead economic revitalization in Hazelwood and similar communities in the face of generational and economic discrimination; providing every person with a sense of belonging, significance, and security; and connecting an individual’s inherent natural talent with meaningful opportunity and education. When asked his favorite thing about Hazelwood, PT says, “The people… Because everything is about people. The people [in Hazelwood] are my professors and Hazelwood is the university.”