Marchers pass through Towson in show against Trump administration
By Sarah Sternhagen, Editor-in-Chief and Morgan Lane, Staff Writer
A group of protestors walked through Towson on Monday as part of a 160-mile journey from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. in disapproval against President Donald Trump’s second administration.
The We Are America March is a two-week long trek delivering a copy of the Constitution from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, to the steps of Congress.
The protesters disagree with many of the Trump administration’s recent actions. They also condemn Congress for not upholding rights such as due process, and not checking other branches of the government.
One of the organizers, MJ Oakley, said the march was built on the idea of taking the Constitution from its birthplace in Philadelphia to Washington, where it’s “currently being ignored,” according to Oakley.
The demonstrators arrived in Towson on Sunday evening and picked up again Monday morning, Sept. 15, for their tenth day of walking. The roughly 50 marchers departed from Truth and Remembrance Park, which is next to the Baltimore County Circuit Court, before 10 a.m.
“The marching is physically difficult,” marcher Louis Bergelson said. “Like it’s hard to go 15 miles, it’s harder to go 15 miles on concrete and hot sun without the shade.”
Oakley and the other core organizers decided to do the march because it’s something different from the activism they usually see. The challenging part was figuring out accessible housing for everyone walking multiple days and planning meal stops. She said lots of churches have been putting the marchers up for a night.
The protesters passed in front of Towson University’s Stephens Hall as they marched down York Road. Monday’s hike ended in Baltimore, totalling just under 10 miles.
Not all marchers are walking the full 160-mile stretch. According to Oakley, many people join the protest for one or two days, or even just a few hours. Others, like Betsy Swan who traveled in to join the march late Sunday night, are starting part-way through.
“Like a lot of people, I’ve been casting about to figure out how to use my energy to help change,” Swan said. “This is grounding me more than anything.”
The march will end with a rally in Washington on Sept. 19, starting at 11:30 a.m. on the eastern end of the National Mall.
Due to technical difficulties with The Towerlight’s website, this article was originally published in the Towerlight Today e-newsletter on Sept. 16, 2025. The article was posted to The Towerlight’s website on Oct. 3, 2025.