Baltimore activists were among the participants of the Women's March in Washington, D.C., last year. (Photo by Xandra Ellin)

Until the 2016 presidential campaign season, Owings Mills resident Jill Hornstein wasn’t the least bit interested in current affairs. “I hated history and politics,” says Hornstein, a mother and physical therapist who attends Beth Israel Congregation.

But one night, she and her family turned on a televised Republican presidential debate. “As we watched the candidates, my 11-year-old son said, ‘My teachers wouldn’t let me act this way in school,'” recalls Hornstein. “At that point, I realized we had to fight for our kids.”

Today, Hornstein is co-coordinator with local activist Camille Mihalic of the second annual Baltimore Women’s March–March Forward. The Jan. 20 march will begin with an 11 a.m. rally at the War Memorial Plaza downtown, followed by a walk to the Inner Harbor’s McKeldin Square.

According to its organizers, Baltimore’s march is dedicated to continuing the work started by last year’s national Women’s March in Washington, D.C., and its sister rallies across the United States and around the globe. Last year’s local march attracted around 5,000 activists.

The goals of the 2018 march include increasing voter turnout and electing candidates whose policies support racial, environmental and economic justice, public education, criminal justice reform, access to quality health care, and equal rights and opportunities for women.

Speakers at this Saturday’s march in Baltimore will include Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-2nd) , Mayor Catherine E. Pugh, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, Baltimore City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clark (D-14th) and Del. Shelly L. Hettleman (D-11th).

Also set to address participants are Dr. Leana S. Wen, Baltimore’s health commissioner, fashion entrepreneur and sexual abuse prevention activist Rashad Corey, political organizer and activist Ricarra Jones, and Davon Fleming, a Baltimorean and finalist on NBC’s “The Voice.”

‘A City Full of Heart’

Jessica Klaitman, an Oheb Shalom congregant, yoga teacher and social worker from the Stoneleigh community, joined the march steering committee as a representative of Baltimore Women United, an organization that supports women candidates and aims to get women to the polls. She says it was important for march organizers to bring together organizations from all over the Baltimore metropolitan area so the interests of all people could be represented.

Although Klaitman attended the national march last year, she says she believes it’s important for Baltimore to have its own march and she will be marching here on Saturday.

“Baltimore is a city full of heart, issues, and there’s a determination to make Baltimore the best place possible,” says Klaitman. “I was raised by a single mother in Baltimore City and went to Baltimore City Public Schools. My mother — and probably Judaism, too — taught me that it’s important to be there for others, and that community has to work together so that everyone can succeed and lead meaningful lives,”

A mother of three, Klaitman says she’s trying to raise her children in the same manner that she was brought up. “I think that reflects Jewish values,” says Klaitman.

Sarah Mogol
Sarah Mogol: “After the election of Donald Trump, I felt there was a moral imperative … to advocate for what I believe in.” (Photo by Dawn Hoffman)

Jewish values also played a pivotal role in Pikesville resident Sarah Mogol’s decision to become politically active. “After the election of Donald Trump, I felt there was a moral imperative … to advocate for what I believe in,” says Mogol, a New York native, former chef and events planner.

“How could a Jew stand by and watch what’s going on and not get involved? After the election, what I saw happening seemed to defy everything I felt as a Jew, as a mother, as the grandchild of a grandfather who fought fascists in Europe,” she says. “I could no longer leave [political activism] to someone else.”

A Local Perspective

Like Klaitman, Hornstein and Mogol do not limit their political advocacy to national politics. All are involved with local groups such as Together We Will, Baltimore Area, and Inform Blue, a new organization that Mogol founded to raise awareness, provide information and build future leaders. Both organizations are sponsors of the Baltimore Women’s March 2018.

Last month, a pre-legislative summit organized by Hornstein and sponsored by Together We Will, Baltimore Area, and other organizations was held at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County . “At the summit, we heard from a lot of [non-governmental organizations] about all of the things that were coming up in the state legislature, issues like bail reform, earned sick leave, climate,” she says. “There’s a limited effect from what we can do nationally, so we were looking at what we could do locally.”

Mogol agrees. “When you look at it, the state legislature is the first and last line of defense,” she says. “I know four women who met at the [national] march last year and formed an Indivisible group. They now sit in the Virginia legislature. … Some [local] races [around the nation] were lost by one vote. Every vote really does matter.”

Crucial to creating a successful political movement, says Hornstein, is “making sure that everyone has a seat at the table. A lot of people don’t think we need to work on issues that don’t directly affect them. We all need to step up to help all good causes. Now, it’s more important than ever that we pay close attention and hold everyone accountable.”

For information about the Baltimore Women’s March 2018, visit baltimorewomensmarch.org.

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