What Happened

Denay Wilkerson , 2, restored Smithsonian National Carousel on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Valerie Plesch caption

The Smithsonian Institution's carousel business Friday after being closed for nearly restoration and refurbishments.

Brightly painted ponies , delighting children, for centuries. 't always been accessible to everyone.

The ribbon-cutting at the Smithsonian National Carousel nodded .

Why It Matters

Baltimore County police officers lift a white demonstrator into a patrol 4, 1963. arrested 400 other demonstrators protested the whites-only policy Amusement Park in suburban Woodlawn, Md. Other demonstrators arrested and escorted background. William A. Smith/AP hide caption

reopened carousel was a group of African American adults who arrived from Baltimore. In the 1960s, , desegregate the carousel located Amusement Park outside of Baltimore.

"My family, ," said Janice Chance, who was 13 carousel in 1966. Chance's son was a Marine Afghanistan in 2008. carousel National Mall means a others who fought for "the freedoms of this country."

"We are together, we're having fun, but we remember the struggle ," said Chance.

What Comes Next

Desegregating Gwynn Oak Amusement Park took several years of protests activists: It was finally integrated on Aug. 28, 1963, . Martin Luther King, "I Have A Dream" speech on the National Mall.

Sharon Langley, 63, stands "Freedom Riders" 11 months-old. Langley African American to desegregate the original carousel in Baltimore on Aug. 28, 1963, . Martin Luther "I Have a Dream" speech. Valerie Plesch caption

" occurring in D.C., quiet activism with little people was occurring ," said Sharon Langley, carousel that day. 11 months old. Years later, Langley co-wrote a children's . This week, , on a horse called Freedom Rider — after the desegregating riders. She believes it's fitting the carousel should be " monuments of freedom… This is a monument for children , ride and experience the pursuit of happiness."

After Hurricane Agnes devastated Gwynn Oak's rides and buildings, the park closed in 1973 and the carousel went into storage. Shortly after, then Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley decided replace the aging carousel on the National Mall. "As Ripley's original carousel , the Smithsonian began looking for a suitably grand replacement," Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Smithsonian Magazine. "Gwynn Oak's hand-carved beauty, an emblem of the struggle for civil rights, ."

Children play in bubbles outside the restored carousel. Valerie Plesch caption

With 54 horses, a sea monster, a chariots, the restored Gwynn Oak carousel stands Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building.

Left: Smithsonian National Carousel's 56 restored horses. Right: A new ADA-compliant chariot featuring Washington, D.C., landmarks. Valerie Plesch caption

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