Gwynn Oak Assembly: Exploring the Monumental Past of Baltimore
By: Samantha S. '16
Last month, students participated in a special assembly in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. After several weather conflicts delayed the program from its originally planned date in January, the students finally enjoyed the opportunity to hear from two speakers, Mr. Pete O'Neal and Rabbi Gila Ruskin. While Mr. O'Neal discussed his documentary, All the King’s Horses, which examines the protests at Gwynn Oak amusement park in 1964, Rabbi Gila Ruskin shed light on the Jewish involvement in these protests. Gwynn Oak Park was a privately owned amusement park in the Baltimore area during the 1900s that became one of the first integrated amusement parks in the country as a result of the protests of 1964.
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Last month, students participated in a special assembly in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. After several weather conflicts delayed the program from its originally planned date in January, the students finally enjoyed the opportunity to hear from two speakers, Mr. Pete O'Neal and Rabbi Gila Ruskin. While Mr. O'Neal discussed his documentary, All the King’s Horses, which examines the protests at Gwynn Oak amusement park in 1964, Rabbi Gila Ruskin shed light on the Jewish involvement in these protests. Gwynn Oak Park was a privately owned amusement park in the Baltimore area during the 1900s that became one of the first integrated amusement parks in the country as a result of the protests of 1964.
At the end of the assembly many students felt inspired by the speakers and their story of social justice at Gwynn Oak. Rachel R. ’16 shared that “listening to the speakers and watching clips from the documentary motivated [her and] the assembly made [her] realize how important it is to stand up against social injustice and fight for good causes.” Realizing what a crucial role Jews played in integrating Gwynn Oak, Jenna B. ’16 stated that “knowing that [her] ancestors had the courage to stand up for what's right makes [her] proud to be a Jew and empowers [her] to follow in their footsteps.” She also expressed that “seeing Mr. O'Neal’s appreciation towards the Jews who fought against discrimination helped [her] recognize how honorable an act it truly was.”
After the assembly, Mr. O'Neal elaborated more on the making of his documentary. Working for about two and a half years, Mr. O'Neal “managed to interview about 30 people, but [he] still didn’t get a chance to interview all the people [he] wanted to.” Mr. O'Neal hopes to continue interviewing witnesses of the protests in the future and learn new things about the events that took place more than fifty years ago. He asserts that “there’s a point in time when you have to say you’re done, but I’m still not done yet.
Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School
Roz & Marvin H. Weiner Family Campus
3300 Old Court Road | Baltimore, MD 21208
410-486-1905 | mail@bethtfiloh.com
3300 Old Court Road | Baltimore, MD 21208
410-486-1905 | mail@bethtfiloh.com
Learning together. For life.
Baltimore’s only Jewish independent preparatory school serving PreSchool through Grade 12.
Baltimore’s only Jewish independent preparatory school serving PreSchool through Grade 12.
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