The true story of how a ride on a carousel made a powerful Civil Rights statement
A Ride to Remember tells how a community came together-both
black and white-to make a change. When Sharon Langley was born in the
early 1960s, many amusement parks were segregated, and African-American
families were not allowed entry. This book reveals how in the summer of
1963, due to demonstrations and public protests, the Gwynn Oak Amusement
Park in Maryland became desegregated and opened to all for the first
time. Co-author Sharon Langley was the first African-American child to
ride the carousel. This was on the same day of Martin Luther King Jr.'s
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Langley's ride to remember
demonstrated the possibilities of King's dream. This book includes
photos of Sharon on the carousel, authors' notes, a timeline, and a
bibliography.
"When Sharon Langley was born, amusement parks were segregated, and African American families were not allowed in. This picture book tells how a community came together--both black and white--to make a change. In the summer of 1963, because of demonstrations and public protests the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park in Maryland became desegregated and opened to all for the first time. Sharon and her parents were the first African American family to walk into the park, and Sharon was the first African American child to ride the merry-go-round. This was on the same day of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Sharon's ride to remember demonstrated the possibilities of King's dream ... The carousel, fully functional, now resides on the National Mall, near the Air and Space Museum"--
