
Smithsonian Carousel Reopens With Ties to Civil Rights History
The Smithsonian carousel reopened Friday after nearly three years of restoration, featuring rides originally from Gwynn Oak Amusement Park outside Baltimore. The carousel holds special significance as it was desegregated on August 28, 1963 — the same day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his 'I Have A Dream' speech. Sharon Langley, who was just 11 months old when she became the first Black child to ride the carousel that day, returned this week to ride a horse named Freedom Rider. The ribbon-cutting honored African American adults from Baltimore who were among the first to desegregate the carousel in the 1960s.