Judaic Studies

This documentary tells the largely unknown story of a key moment in the Civil Rights Movement when, in 1960, racially segregated Glen Echo Amusement Park was the scene of a sit-in by black students from nearby Howard University, and white, predominantly Jewish, protesters quickly joined them. As the filmmakers put it, “Using just-discovered archival footage, and focusing on the stories of six individuals, viewers are transported to those heady days, when private businesses could choose their customers, and the walls between Black and white were so high that friendships were unimaginable.”

The film, which has been hailed by the DC Black Film and the Boston Jewish Film Festivals among many others, is both an essential record of a shared history too often forgotten and an occasion for bringing communities together for dialogue and tikkun olam. The film also has a local connection with Helene Wilson, of blessed memory, and sister of Arnold Berleant, who features prominently.

To facilitate community dialogue, the screening will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with a “who’s who” of Maine Civil Rights Leaders, including Rachel Talbot Ross, Michael Alpert, and Athena Witham. They will be joined by an American historian from the University of Maine faculty to lead a discussion of the film and its lessons for us today.