BHM2026: Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round (2025)
- Sun, Feb 15
Director: Ilana Trachtman Run Time: 89 min. Release Year: 2024
Gateway Film Foundation is proud to announce its Black History Month 2026 film series, an annual, legacy program spotlighting contemporary and historic Black voices through cinema, live performance, and post-screening discussions. Taking place every Sunday at 2:00pm throughout February, the series invites audiences to gather for shared cultural experiences rooted in history, creativity, and dialogue.
Gateway Film Foundation extends its sincere gratitude to Larry James and Donna James, whose generosity made the BHM26 program possible. Their continued support reflects a deep commitment to cultural access, education, and the power of film to bring communities together through meaningful stories and dialogue.
Post screening discussion led by Larry James and Julie Tilson Stanley, President and CEO of JewishColumbus.
Country: United States
Language: English
About the film:
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.
About the filmmaker:
Ilana Trachtman is an award-winning filmmaker whose work explores the intersection of art, politics, and social justice. Her documentaries—including Pray the Devil Back to Hell, Paris Is Burning, and The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter—have screened internationally and earned critical acclaim for their intimacy, urgency, and cultural impact.
See our upcoming films