How do you disrupt a “fixed” system? That was the question underlying this year’s Middle School Day of Dialogue, which featured a screening of the award-winning documentary, Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round, and a discussion with filmmaker Ilana Trachtman. This documentary tells the inspiring story of a coalition of people who brought about the 1960s desegregation of Glen Echo Amusement Park — one of the most popular recreation spots in the DC area.

Planning for Day of Dialogue was spearheaded by a group of dedicated teachers and students in Cross Affinity Leadership who convened regularly throughout the year to plan the day, as well as lead-up activities. The day’s program started with a brief introduction and screening of the film. Afterwards, students conducted further research on the civil rights movement and on the people, organizations, and institutions involved in the Glen Echo story — including Howard University’s Non-Violent Action Group (NAG), the AFL-CIO, and the group of white neighbors, many Jewish, who came out to support the protestors. In the afternoon, the Cross-Affinity Leadership group led a Q&A about the film with Trachtman.

Students prepare to share their research into topics raised by the documentary


Middle School Day of Dialogue, now in its seventh year, has a four-year rotating curriculum. Each year introduces skills and vocabulary to help students navigate their identity development, empathize with their peers, and build cultural competency. 

This year focused on understanding systems, people’s roles within systems, and systemic and institutional discrimination. In preparation for Day of Dialogue, students were asked to identify systems at school and analyze those they perceived as “broken.” They identified hallways and lockers as problematic and set about brainstorming potential solutions. These ideas were later shared with Associate Head for Finance and Operations Trey Holloway.

On the Day of Dialogue, teacher leaders Jua Fluellen and Kara Kling explained how Glen Echo Amusement Park was part of a system of segregation that was functioning as intended by its designers. Glen Echo was not broken, it was a “fixed” system — one that was stuck. Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round shows how collective action can counter systems that don’t work for all.

Filmmaker Ilana Trachtman speaks with students about her documentary

The day’s many discussions were grounded in a set of community norms that helped deepen the dialogue and maintain a safe space for learning. Common vocabulary was introduced, and everyone in the community was encouraged to engage to learn and grow. The educational version of the film that students would watch had been scrubbed of racial slurs, so the teachers also took some time to talk to students about red light words (that need to be off-limits), yellow light words (that are outdated and might be used in certain circumstances but not others), and green light words (that are okay to use).

The film was a powerful pick for students. Most students in the Middle School had been to Glen Echo, but didn’t know about its past. A story about a local institution with a buried history was one the students were interested to learn more about. And a story about citizen agency and coming together across age, racial difference, and religious difference was a hopeful one for fractured times.

A week later, members of Cross-Affinity Leadership spoke to parents about planning Middle School Day of Dialogue. They explained the challenges of creating engaging activities and meaningful learning experiences for fifth through eighth graders. And they also shared the ways Day of Dialogue had changed them. One student said, “I've actually gained a lot more than I ever thought I would…I've improved myself and I feel like I've been able to expand my toolbox when it comes to talking about these things.” Another student added, “It's really been a great opportunity to expand how I view the world around me.”