Hello--
I am writing to inform you of a special event that will take place at Glen Echo Park on Saturday, September 10.
The event, called Summer of Change, is a reunion of civil rights veterans who participated in protests at Glen Echo 45 years ago, leading to the integration of the Park. The program is sponsored by the National Park Service, in cooperation with the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, Inc. and Montgomery County, Maryland.
Glen Echo Park was the Washington, D.C. area's largest amusement park for 70 years (1898-1968). For some old-time Washingtonians, the words Glen Echo Park bring back long-treasured memories of youth and summer fun. But for many African-Americans, memories of the segregated amusement park bring memories of bitterness and pain.
In the summer of 1960, a small group students (mostly from Howard University) started a picket line at Glen Echo Amusement Park. They called themselves the Non-violent Action Group (NAG.) Their efforts coincided with sit-in demonstrations that were taking place across the country at the time.
What distinguished the Glen Echo protests was the warm welcome and backing that the students received from the white residents in the nearby Bannockburn community. Whites and blacks joined the picket lines together throughout the summer, forcing Glen Echo's management to integrate the park. The park loomed large in the social life of the city; integration there presaged greater integration throughout the region
Forty-five years have passed, the college students are now in their sixties and many neighborhood residents who participated are in their final years. Many participants, like Gwendolyn Britt who went on to be a Maryland state senator, continued the struggle for equality after leaving Glen Echo.
The Sept. 10 event will include a private reception for the CRV of the Glen Echo Protests. followed by a public discussion from 2 to 4 p.m. which we hope will be well attended.
The people who fought to end segregation in America were witnesses and agents of a very profound social revolution which continues today. I hope that our event will serve as both a tribute to them and a chance for people who have lived rich lives apart for nearly half a century to come together again in reflection.
If you walked the picket lines at Glen Echo, please contact Sam Swersky at: sam_swersky@nps.gov about this event.
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