Inspiration at Bullis: Screening of Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round
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Inspiration at Bullis: Screening of Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round
By: Aanya M. '29 | The Torch | Bullis Student Tutors
Mr. Philip Weisgold and Ms. Jenna Borrelli outside of the screening with one of the guest speakers
On February 26, Bullis had a special screening of Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go- Round, an inspiring documentary about the 1960 protests against the segregation of the Glen Echo Amusement Park. Howard University students and local members of the Jewish community came together to protest against the park’s “whites only” policies. The screening night's events included reflections from Bullis students, a viewing of the documentary, and a panel featuring those featured in the documentary. There was also a Q&A moderated by Bullis parent and CNN anchor Laura Coates.
Ms. Borrelli, Director of Wellness at Bullis, helped run the event. She spoke about the documentary and how “it wasn’t just parts of it that made it inspiring, but the entire documentary as a whole.” Her favorite part of the documentary was “maybe not a specific scene, but the theme of an untold story in history.” She said, “what always sticks with me every time I see it is how powerful it is that they didn’t fight for recognition, they fought because it was the right thing to do. And when I think about society today, especially with young people, every achievement is posted online and recognized, and everything seems like it was done for validation.” She reflects on how the documentary really illuminates the generational shift from doing something because it's right versus doing something for accolades. Her message makes an important connection to the world today and to how impressive it was for these people to stand up because it was the right thing to do rather than for praise and recognition.
Speakers at the event who were featured in the documentary.
The panel that accompanied the event was incredibly inspiring. Tina Clarke, Edith Bryant, and Rocky Delaplaine, all three of whom were featured in the documentary, came to speak at Bullis after the screening. Ms. Borelli comments on how amazing it was to have them there. “Although they’re much older now, these ladies were kids and teenagers when this happened. It's very humbling to think about the change you can make, especially when you're a young person. I think a lot of times young people wait for adults to tell them what to do, rather than going out and making changes themselves.” This event demonstrated that there is no limit to how we can make a difference, no matter who we are or how old we are.
Source: Bullis Student Tutors. (2026, March). The Torch (p. 17). Bullis School.