The author of “Child of the Civil Rights Movement” was among several civil rights experts celebrating the 50th anniversary of the integration of Glen Echo Park on Saturday in Montgomery County.
What happened at the park 50 years ago?
The park was a segregated amusement park, like a lot of places in the South. And some students from Howard [University] actually came over and started having sit-ins at the carousel.
How did the sit-in fit in with other integration efforts happening in the D.C. area then?
That was 1960, and students were really rising up all over the country. There were the Greensboro sit-ins. … Lots of college students were really becoming much more involved in the movement in a peaceful way and made a dramatic difference.
Were you alive then?
I was barely alive. I was born in 1961, so by the time they integrated, I was just born.
When did you first learn about this event?
I’m not originally from Washington. But older Washingtonians would tell me about it, that this was a segregated park. Apparently some people still have difficulty going there because they have these memories of being excluded when there were these advertisements saying, “Everyone’s welcome, you know, except you.”
Why was this event important?
The thing that I think is really worth celebrating about this event is that there were students that stood up to say, “This is wrong.” Then they were joined by a lot of the white neighborhood folks to form this integrated protest. It goes to show that a few people can really bring about significant change, and it just highlights how important it is for us all to speak up when we all see an injustice taking place. – Kytja Weir
