TOWSON, Md.–Dozens of people from states as far away as Texas and Kentucky marched 15 miles through Baltimore County on Sunday with a gigantic copy of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution in tow, in a show of support for American democracy.
The march aims to show that the government needs to be held accountable and that its choices impact the future of the nation’s children, said Maggie Bohara, the march’s director.
The demonstration was part of the 160-mile-long “We Are America” march that began on Sept. 6th in Pennsylvania and is expected to end in Washington D.C. this Friday. Sunday’s leg of it ended in Towson, with marchers carrying copies of the sections of the Constitution copied by more than 50 kids across the nation.
“We found as many children as we could across the country to help create the Constitution,” Bohara said. “It’s their lives, it’s their country we’re fighting for.”
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Jaxy Lagrome, a resident of Perry Hall, said she decided to participate in the march because of her children, including her 10-year-old daughter Dana, who helped copy part of the constitution.
“I want the world to be a better place for them,” Lagrome said. I want them to be able to be themselves, to be surrounded by good people, like the people here, and to be free to pursue what they want to do.”
Lagrome was towing a large “trojan horse” behind her vehicle as she marches. As they make their trip, people are covering the horse with notes about what they care about, Lagrome said.
It’s been a conversation starter, she said.
“I have a lot of Republicans who come up to me and ask questions, and when I tell them that this is really just to be funny, light hearted, keep everything positive and to bring community together, they’re open to it too,” Lagrome said. “It’s hard to be mad at the purple horse.”
A 16-year-old Montgomery County resident named Graham Milner joined for the weekend, influenced by issues like gun law policies and deportations. He said he thinks it’s important to show that children care about issues that affect them.
“It is our future that is being affected … by anything that’s being passed by Congress, and so it’s really important that we are being represented,” Milner said. “The best way to do that is to come out and do it yourself.”
Some participants have been with the march since Philadelphia.
Janet Carmosky from Albany, New York and Jimmy Sandoval from San Antonio, Texas are both walking the entire 160 miles.
Carmosky said she came because she couldn’t stand by while people’s rights were crumbling.
“At this point, our rights have been so deeply eroded that it feels like a crisis,” Carmosky said. “I mean, it is a crisis. We have a constitution that no longer is respected by the leaders who … took an oath to defend it.”
For Sandoval, it’s important to march now in order to be a beacon of hope for Americans and show that people are willing to organize against despotism, he said.
Sandoval said he was inspired to march because of issues impacting his home state of Texas. He said he is concerned about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the placement of the Ten Commandments in schoolrooms and political gerrymandering.
The march’s focus on the Constitution also resonated with him, Sandoval said.
“We’re like, ‘hands off our Bill of Rights, our individual rights, our freedoms that make America great,’” Sandoval said.
Passersby were mostly supportive of the marchers as they traversed the road to Towson, honking in support. But there was a man who flipped the protesters off as he drove by.
“It’s been a lot of positivity, for sure,” Philadelphia resident Ashley Roman said. “I think it’s interesting how the haters come forward. It’s like they’re angry, but it’s not really at us, it’s more at their own actions.”
Marchers plan to arrive in Washington, D.C. on September 17th and hold a rally on the National Mall, where political leaders like U.S. Rep. Jamin Raskin are invited to speak, Carmosky said.
