We Are America marchers stroll down the National Mall after strolling 160 miles to Washington, on September 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP
Over the span of 14 days, practically 200 folks marched from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., in defence of democracy.
From kids to the aged, members of the We Are America march arrived in the nation’s capital on a heat and sunny Friday (September 19, 2025) afternoon, drained however joyous, the place they had been greeted with hugs and cheers from supporters and members of Congress.
The mission of their sprawling stroll was to unite a motion robust sufficient to carry America’s leaders accountable in the face of mass firings at authorities businesses, the federal takeover of the District of Columbia’s legislation enforcement and myriad disagreements with actions made by the Trump administration and the president himself.
Marchers from throughout the nation gathered in Philadelphia, then trekked by Newark, Delaware; Wilmington, Delaware; Baltimore and past. Along the way in which they had been housed in church buildings, the place they slept in pews, or at folks’s properties. One night time the group camped open air.
Founding member Maggie Bohara mentioned the marchers had been warmly greeted in each neighborhood they entered, given meals, water and shelter. “It really showed that there are people who believe in what we believe in and that we’re not alone in this,” Ms. Bohara mentioned.
80-year-old Dianne Shaw-Cummins and her son Ted Regnaud had been members of the march. Shaw-Cummins, who lives in Arizona however spends the summer season in Minnesota with Mr. Regnaud, mentioned one morning her son requested how she felt about strolling from Philadelphia to Washington, to which she replied, “I can do that.”
“I want better for my grandchildren. I want better for my children. I want better for all people that live and breathe in the United States of America,” she mentioned.
Speaking to the marchers shortly after their arrival, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, likened the march to Bloody Sunday, the day in 1965 when civil rights activists marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and had been attacked by legislation enforcement on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
“You marched on 160 miles, and today you are now bringing the Edmund Pettus Bridge moment to Washington, D.C. You’re bringing it to fruition,” Mr. Green mentioned.
The marchers carried a model of the U.S. Constitution with them that was created by kids from throughout the nation. They gifted it to Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., after they arrived in Washington. Van Hollen sprang into the nationwide highlight in April when he flew to El Salvador to fulfill along with his constituent, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported by the Trump administration in March.
Founding We Are America member M.J. Tune mentioned they carried the Constitution to remind elected officers of their oath to defend it in opposition to enemies, each overseas and home. “We also wanted to build a sense of community on this March. Right now, we feel like so many people in America have lost a sense of community, and community is essential to creating a movement that can sustain long-term nonviolent action, which is our ultimate goal,” Mr. Tune mentioned.
Published – September 21, 2025 07:40 am IST